


Destiny (우린 결국 다시 만날 운명이었지)

by doremifasolar



Category: Mamamoo
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Drama, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Past Abuse, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:33:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25930651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doremifasolar/pseuds/doremifasolar
Summary: Yongsun and Byulyi coincidentally meet three years after their break-up to find that they have both changed greatly except for one thing - their feelings for each other.우린 결국 헤어졌지We eventually broke up서로 다른 길을 걸었지We walked on different paths시간이 우리를 감싸고 서로를 다시 찾았지Time envelops us, and we found each other again먼 길을 돌아서 왔지만Though we went a long way우린 결국 다시 만날 운명이었지We were destined to eventually meet again
Relationships: Ahn Hyejin | Hwasa/Jung Wheein, Kim Yongsun | Solar/Moon Byulyi | Moonbyul, Kim Yongsun | Solar/Original Character(s)
Comments: 63
Kudos: 133





	1. Chapter 1

Moon Byulyi looks out the window of the quiet cafe she frequents to rest her strained eyes a little after working on her laptop for the past three hours. Being a professional photographer sure is tough, but it's where her passion lies, it's what she loves to do. Thus, it's as fulfilling as it's tiring. She can still hardly believe she had the courage to quit her stable history teacher job three years ago to be a freelancer despite the vehement protests of her loved ones who were afraid she'd be wasting her opportunity, time, and youth. To her, doing a job she doesn't enjoy is worse than the potential waste of time. After all, if she doesn't try, she would never know.

She sighs and turns her attention back to her laptop, continuing to edit the photos she has taken a couple days back at a client's wedding. A bittersweet smile makes its way to her lips, tugging at their corners as she looks through the photos that contain so much bliss and happiness - which she could also have had, except she made a choice and little did she know, they weren't part of it. 

Byulyi reaches out for her glass of iced Americano, taking a sip through the straw only to realise she's sucking not the bitter liquid but air. She looks at the glass to see its content drained, leaving behind small pieces of ice cubes. She grabs her wallet and stands up to walk to the counter to purchase another drink because she still needs more caffeine. She has to submit the edited photos and videos to her client tomorrow and she's only halfway done.

She joins the queue and opens her wallet to take out her credit card while waiting for the three customers in front of her to finish ordering. Someone taps on her shoulder and she jumps slightly, turning back.

"Excuse me, you dropped th-" the sweet voice stops mid-sentence, its owner's eyes widening. Byulyi blinks, taken aback, and she feels like time has come to a standstill. "Ah... It... It's been a long time."

"Y-Yeah it has," Byulyi manages to get out. She looks at the little slip of paper in the other's hand and unconsciously pulls her bottom lip between her teeth before taking it from her. "T-Thanks Yong... sun unnie."

Kim Yongsun only gives her a small, polite smile. "You're welcome."

They stare at each other for what feels like forever, checking each other out as discreetly as possible because it's been years and they have both changed so much from what they remember of each other.

Yongsun in the past had long, straight chocolate brown hair, slightly chubbier cheeks (Byulyi loved touching them because they felt so soft, a lot like mochi), and she used to dress like a college student even though she was already a working adult.

The Yongsun now, she has fully bloomed into a woman that's for sure. Her hair is jet black, really long and straight, and she's still slim but her figure looks curvier and more toned, her cheeks only a tinge chubby, and she dresses much more maturely. Byulyi can barely look away from her ribbed beige bralette and beige high-waisted pants. She looks sexy but classy, and so feminine. Not surprisingly, Byulyi still feels her heart racing for this woman.

Byulyi had changed a lot as well. She had shoulder-length orange hair, doesn't really apply make-up, and she used to dress very conservatively. It actually was very endearing to Yongsun, because she felt special that she was the only one entitled to see Byulyi in all her naked glory (which was honestly very glorious).

Now, though, she also has black hair, mid-length, with bangs brushed to the side, and she definitely has on more make-up, but it's still natural-looking, only serving to enhance her beautiful facial features even more. She's wearing a tight-fitting navy cropped t-shirt, light grey sweatpants, and sports shoes. She looks athletic and it's just so attractive to Yongsun, who is also surprised at the sliver of skin exposed at her abdomen, showing off how toned it is. Yongsun feels her mouth dry out and her palms clammy at the sight of Byulyi.

"Byulyi-ssi, what can I get for you?" The cashier asks for the third time, finally getting Byulyi's attention and the latter quickly turns around to place her order, stepping aside after she pays for it.

The cashier then repeats her question to Yongsun and Byulyi listens intently to see how many drinks she's getting.

"Hi, can I get an iced chocolate?" Just one, thankfully, and not to-go. Byulyi can't help but feel a little relieved, and then a little stupid for feeling this way because who is she to feel this way now? They are no one to each other, not friends and certainly not lovers anymore. She still can't help it though, and she doesn't think she'll ever be able to.

The two wait in awkward silence for their drinks. When Byulyi's is done, she hesitantly asks, "Unnie, if you are not meeting anyone, do you... want to sit at my table?" She knows she probably shouldn't be doing this, but she misses her too much and finally meeting her after such a long period of time, she doesn't think she'll be able to do anything properly or get any sleep if she lets her go just like this.

Yongsun looks surprised, not expecting the invitation but she also looks slightly relieved, probably because she feels the same way. "Sure."

Byulyi waits for her to get her drink before leading her to her table. Yongsun glances at her laptop, camera, and some documents sprawled on the table, and Byulyi suddenly feels self-conscious. She tidies them quickly so the table doesn't look as messy.

They sit and sip at their drinks silently, looking calm although they are anything but. Yongsun decides to be brave so she sets her drink down.

"How are you? You look like you are doing well." Yongsun gestures to a really expensive-looking camera (she doesn't have to be an expert to know it's a high-end model) on the table and Byulyi nods gingerly.

"I am. Doing what I love is tiring but I'm happy... I guess," Byulyi says. She doesn't tell Yongsun that there's a cap to her happiness because of the empty half of her bed. For all she knows, the older woman may have already moved on.

"That's great," Yongsun smiles, although the smile doesn't really reach her eyes.

"How about you, unnie? You look like you're doing well, too."

Yongsun gulps and takes her drink again, sipping and chewing on her straw. Byulyi notices, and she knows that it's a habit Yongsun has always had when she's nervous.

"I'm... er, I... I'm divorced," Yongsun admits with a sheepish smile, chewing her straw again.

Byulyi's eyes widen in shock and she stays quiet because she doesn't know how to respond and if she should be sad that she did move on or happy that she's probably single now.

Before Byulyi can say anything, Yongsun speaks up again, "My parents pushed me to it and I was, I guess, desperate and cowardly, so I agreed. But I've grown, and I've become braver, so I left."

"Like you left me," Byulyi slips out before realising what she'd said too late. She panics when she sees the flash of pain in Yongsun's eyes and the latter freezes. "No, that's not what I... I'm sorry!"

Yongsun's bottom lip trembles slightly but she forces a smile. "It's okay, you are right. I did leave you."

"No I-"

"Anyways, I have to go. I hope that you'll always be happy, Byulyi, because you deserve to be." After finishing her words, the older woman swiftly gets up and leaves the cafe, leaving Byulyi once again. Byulyi stands up, wanting to chase after her because guilt eats at her and her heart demands its owner back but fear wraps its hands around her ankles, preventing her from doing so. She slumps back down into her chair, tears welling up in her eyes and blurring her sight. Unable to continue with her work, she packs up and heads home after nodding to the cafe staff, her drink barely touched.

How is she going to finish up her work if her whole mind is being invaded by her ex-girlfriend? She sighs, dragging her feet as she walks back to her apartment three blocks away. A buzz on her phone snaps her back to reality - a message from her client who's checking on the progress of his wedding photos. That's right, work is currently her priority, the rest will have to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, thanks for reading and please take note that I may change the rating to explicit depending on how the story goes.
> 
> This story is completely mine and any similarity with other works is purely coincidental.
> 
> Also, feedbacks are very welcomed ☺


	2. Chapter 2

It's been two weeks since Byulyi has seen Yongsun, and it's also been two weeks since her mind has been plagued with the older woman. She can barely even do the bare minimum which pisses her business partner off, though he also understands what she's gone through. After all, he has been her best friend for nearly ten years and was the one by her side when Yongsun broke up with her, witnessing every stage of her heartbreak.

"Go and take a walk, take a breather," Junghwan commands as he pries the camera out of Byulyi's hands after hearing her sigh for the nth time.

"I'm fine," Byulyi insists with a pout. 

"Go," Junghwan says sternly and she knows better than to disobey his words when he's using his 'oppa' tone. She sulks at him pulling the age authority just because he's eight months older. "Come on, get me a drink while you're at it. I could use more coffee."

She begrudgingly nods and stomps out of their small, humble office with her phone and wallet. The weather is pretty good, she has to admit, and the clear blue sky manages to brighten her mood slightly.

As she turns a corner, something small bumps into her legs and she gasps in shock, jumping back. Her eyes widen when she sees a little girl with pigtails sitting on her bum, looking like she's about to cry with her lower lip quivering. Flustered, Byulyi quickly helps her up and squats down to dust her off while murmuring apologies. The little girl, thankfully, doesn't seem to be hurt, just surprised.

"I'm so sorry, please don't cry!" Byulyi begs and out of desperation, she makes fart noises with her mouth which the little girl bursts into giggles at, her big doe eyes forming into crescents and the dimples below the corners of her lips showing.

She's really, really adorable even to Byulyi who isn't a fan of kids. She also reminds her of someone.

"You okay now? Not gonna cry?" Byulyi asks her and she nods with a toothy grin. "Who's a good girl? It's you, kiddo!"

The little girl giggles again but it dies down when she hears someone angrily calling, "Sunny! Kim Sunhee! Where are you?! I told you not to run!"

Byulyi stands up straight and is surprised to see Yongsun running towards them, looking equally surprised to see her and ever so beautiful. Her heart starts to race again, and her stomach twists knowingly.

The little girl turns around with a sheepish smile, holding her arms up, asking to be carried. Yongsun grumbles about her running off by herself and bends to pick her up before awkwardly meeting Byulyi's eyes.

"H-Hi," Yongsun greets her.

Byulyi nods with a small smile. "Hi. Who...?"

"Oh, erm... she's my daughter. Her name's Kim Sunhee but we call her Sunny," Yongsun hesitantly introduces. The 'we' bothers Byulyi but she doesn't think she should ask about it. "She should greet you but I'm not sure how she should address you... Is it okay if she calls you imo?"

"Oh, sure, I'm fine with it," Byulyi shrugs, trying to look nonchalant even though there's a tornado in her mind.

Yongsun nods, telling Sunny to greet her as Byulyi imo. Byulyi pokes her cheek in response to her shy greeting, and Sunny laughs, wrapping her slender finger with her tiny hand for a few seconds. Byulyi feels her heart warms at the little gesture, and she notices Yongsun staring wistfully at their interaction.

"She's really adorable and looks just like you. I can see why you call her Sunny," Byulyi compliments with a smile and the older woman thanks her.

"Did she bump into you? If she did, I'm really sorry. I was just a little distracted and she ran off because she heard some music."

"Nah, it's fine. She was good and didn't cry even though she fell. She's okay, so don't worry."

"Ah, alright, thanks."

Awkward silence envelopes them. They are unsure of how to continue the conversation but they don't want to bid each other goodbye just yet. Out of (past) habit, Byulyi lifts her hand up to tidy the older woman's slightly dishevelled hair from running when the latter flinches in what is obviously fear and steps back. Byulyi blinks at the unanticipated reaction and her stomach twists in unease. She's never seen this expression on Yongsun before and she doesn't have a good feeling about it.

"I, erm, your hair's messy and I just wanted to pat it down for you," she explains, feeling apologetic.

"I-It's fine, sorry about that. I'll see you around, I guess?" Yongsun looks away, flustered, as she smooths her hair down by herself. "Bye Byul."

Before Byulyi can respond, she walks off with Sunny who's waving goodbye to her and by the time Byulyi can respond, they're already gone.

* * *

There are so many questions swimming in Byulyi's mind as she lies in bed. She has been tossing and turning yet sleep continues to evade her. It's not like she doesn't know why - she is thinking of a lot of things. She has just found out that the love of her life has become a divorcee and a mother to a lovely little girl. She also has a hunch about the reason that Yongsun was jumpy over such a simple, harmless action and it absolutely scares her. 

What should she say to Yongsun if they meet again? Is it okay to ask about issues like this? She has never had someone in her life go through something like this and she doesn't know how she should react, doesn't even know how to start talking about it. 

She wonders if anyone knows about it and her mind wanders to Yongsun's best friend, Park Chorong. Chorong must know something if they are still close, but are they still close? 

Before Byulyi goes crazy overthinking, she grabs her phone lying on the bedside table and unlocks it, tapping on the message icon to draft a new text message. She hopes that Chorong hasn't changed her number since it's been years. 

She types and deletes, types and deletes again, repeating this for quite some time before finally deciding on what to send.

_Byulyi [01:30]: Hello Chorong unnie, it's Byulyi. I know it's been so long but I was wondering if we can meet up for a bit because I have something to ask you_

_Chorong [01:43]: Hi Byulyi, what's up? We can meet later in the morning if you're fine with it._

_Byulyi [01:44]: Sure, shall we meet at the Starbux outside 'E' university at 09:30? The one we used to study in._

_Chorong [01:45]: Alright, see you later._

Byulyi still can't seem to fall asleep so she gets out of bed to heat up some milk. She still remembers how Yongsun always used to fall asleep before her and so she had complained about the loneliness of being the only one awake. Yongsun then made it a point to make her a warm cup of milk every night about twenty minutes before they go to bed so they can fall asleep together.

Sighing, she downs the warm milk, pushes the longing deep into the depths of her heart and leaves the used cup in the sink to be washed later when she wakes up. She should try to get some sleep for now so she would have sufficient energy to face whatever the future throws at her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hello unnie," Byulyi greets when she finally meets Chorong after three years. Chorong dresses more maturely now but she still looks youthful, just like Yongsun. Maybe that's why they are best friends - they really are similar in many ways.

"Hi Byulyi, it's been so long," Chorong smiles warmly. "Sit down, I ordered iced Americano for us. I hope it's alright?"

"Yes, thank you. You remembered," Byulyi grins, feeling touched. 

"Of course I do, we hung out together so much."

They sip their drinks in silence before Chorong speaks up. "So, what's up? You said you have something to ask. What is it?"

Byulyi hesitates for a bit because how does one start talking about such a heavy, horrible subject? She thinks that Chorong does actually know the reason that Byulyi asked her out, though. "Did Yongsun unnie tell you that we ran into each other recently?"

"... Yes," Chorong admits. A sad smile plays at her lips as she fiddles with her fingers. "I guess I do know what answers you're looking to get from me, and honestly, I do want to tell you, Byulyi, but it is not my place to say anything. I hope you understand."

"I... see." Byulyi knows this is Chorong's subtle way of confirming her suspicion. "I understand, don't worry about it."

"Yongsun's number is still the same, you know." Chorong wiggles an eyebrow teasingly.

"I'm not sure if I should contact her."

Chorong nods before heaving a sigh. "Byul, I know she has hurt you a lot when she left you and I won't blame you if you resent her, but I hope you see the situation from her perspective as well. It was her dream ever since she was little to start a family with her loved one, to have kids, and that's exactly what you didn't want. It wasn't easy for her to make the decision of sacrificing either one, especially with her family constantly trying to brainwash her into choosing the 'normal' life."

"I know, unnie, that's why I accepted the break-up and set her free. It's because I know I couldn't give her what she wanted." Byulyi looks down and the tears that she has tried to suppress drip onto her hands. "But if she could sacrifice me then she obviously didn't love me as much as I loved her."

"Byul-ah... that... I really don't know how to answer that, to be very honest. What I do know is that she's just not the same without you. I miss the best friend I lost as well," Chorong pauses to blink back her tears before continuing, "Talk to her if you want her back, just talk it all out. If not, just leave her alone and pretend like you didn't meet again. Can you do that?"

* * *

Days passed and Byulyi still hasn't worked up the courage to contact Yongsun. She isn't sure if the older girl would appreciate her probing. Maybe deep down she's also afraid Yongsun would reject her attempt to reach out.

Junghwan walks into the small office and shakes his head when he sees Byulyi moping again.

"It's too early for negative energy, Moon Byulyi," he comments, setting some files down on his desk before making his way to her desk.

"Sorry," Byulyi pouts, turning away from him.

He sighs and turns her chair around so she faces him. "Byul-ah, do you want to talk? It's not healthy to keep everything to yourself, especially for so long."

Byulyi ponders, wondering to what extent she should tell him because this is Yongsun's privacy after all.

"Junghwan-ah, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Okay, what would you do if you suspect someone you cared about has been... abused? Would you ask the person outright even if you haven't been in touch for some time?"

Junghwan frowns, his brows furrowed. He thinks for a bit, given that it's such a sensitive topic. "I think... I think that you should only ask the person if you plan to stay in touch. What's the point of trying to find out something only to go back to being strangers? That's not concern, that's nosiness."

He's right, Byulyi knows. The question is whether she wants to get back together with Yongsun. And if she does, can she get over everything that has happened in the past? The heartbreak that she experienced, can she really completely forgive Yongsun for that? Also, does Yongsun even want her back? She was the one who left after all.

"... It's Yongsun noona, isn't it?" Junghwan carefully asks. Byulyi snaps her head up and bites down on her lower lip.

"I... ugh, yes."

"Are you thinking to get back with her? Are you okay with that? Don't you remember how devastated you were three years ago?"

"I remember, of course! It's just, you know I've never moved on. Even when I dated other people, I've never felt the way I felt when I was with her." Byulyi's shoulders sag as she recalls the pain. "I'm so afraid I'm going to set myself up for another heartbreak, but if I don't try I'm afraid I'll regret it forever."

Junghwan rubs her back to comfort her. "I understand, Byul-ah, but do you now want what she wants? You fought over that a lot."

"I... erm, yeah, I think I finally want it too. Being a photographer at weddings and first birthday celebrations certainly has elicited the desire for a family of my own in me but you know what I realised? I may have actually wanted it all along, but maybe I was just too afraid. I don't know if her mind has changed, though."

Junghwan smiles, taking Byulyi aback. She's surprised, because she has expected him to hit her on the head, tell her she's being foolish for wanting to go back to the person who broke her heart but he looks like he approves of what she's just said. 

"What? I'm just glad you're finally being honest and brave. I don't like that she has hurt you, but you've hurt her as well. Just think about it, what's the real reason she broke up with you?"

Byulyi looks at him, confused. "Huh?"

"Haven't you thought about why she really left? I thought you reflected on that, or were you just busy resenting her?"

"Erm, well, because I couldn't give her what she wanted - a family? You know I'm not confident about making one, I don't exactly have role models who I can look up to." Byulyi was raised by her grandmother because her parents divorced when she was just five, and they have both remarried other people shortly after. For them, a new start means no old baggage, so neither of them wanted to take Byulyi along, leaving her with her paternal grandmother who readily took her in. Because of her parents, she's always felt like a burden, as if she doesn't belong anywhere since they, who should love and protect her, could so easily abandon her. It caused her to feel damaged and afraid of such a huge commitment, huge responsibility. She was also afraid she would turn out like them. No matter how much love and care her grandmother gave her, it just wasn't the same. Parent-teacher meetings, competitions, and graduations... there would always be two empty spots that no one else in the world could fill. 

Junghwan purses his lips. "I'm sure that's part of the reason, but I really don't think that's the only reason. Byul-ah, when you focus on something, you tend to overlook a lot, even things that are obvious."

Byulyi narrows her eyes at him. "What? You know something and you didn't think to tell me for three years?"

"Hey, hey, hey." Junghwan raises his hands up in surrender form. "I don't. I deduced, is all. I can't possibly tell you something that I'm not sure and a part of, right? Only noona herself knows for sure and can tell you."

"... Makes sense."

"Of course! Just talk to her when you have made up your mind. You don't have to bring up whatever you're suspecting if you just want a closure for the break-up, you know?" 

Byulyi nods hesitantly and fiddles with her phone for a bit while Junghwan heads off to the pantry to give her some privacy. She drafts multiple messages only to settle for a simple one.

_Byulyi [09:14]: Unnie, it's Byul._

She waits earnestly for a reply, a ball of nerves settling in the pit of her stomach, making her queasy. Twenty minutes pass by and there's still no reply. She's about to give up, toss her phone aside when it vibrates, signalling that there's a new message. Startled, she gasps and quickly unlocks her phone.

_Yongsun [09:35]: Hi Byul-ah. What's up?_

_Byulyi [09:36]: Can we meet up? I want to talk to you._

_Yongsun [09:38]: When? Today? I'm free at 3 p.m._

_Byulyi [09:38]: I'm okay with that. Where should we meet?_

She only hopes Yongsun wouldn't choose a place that's too public.

_Yongsun [09:41]: Do you want to come to my place? I'll send you the address_

_Byulyi [09:42]: Sure, see you later._

It's a good sign that Yongsun easily accepted to meet, right? Byulyi can only hope for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I'm still alive and am sorry for the late update :') I wonder if Byulyi's backstory is confusing to read because the more I proofread, the more I edit, and the more confused I get hahahahah so... sorry about that
> 
> I was going to put in Byulyi and Yongsun's meet-up as well, but it's soooo long (4k+ words... ㅇㅁㅇ) so that will be for the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

"Come on in," Yongsun beckons at Byulyi who is standing gingerly by the entrance. Byulyi walks in after taking off her shoes, looking around to realise Yongsun's taste in interior design is still somewhat the same - classic and modern except now there's a lot of cute plushies and some kid furniture.

Byulyi walks nearer to the walls that are decorated with photos to take a closer look at them. She unknowingly smiles when she sees that majority of the photos are of Sunny from when she was a newborn to a toddler. There are also a lot of photos of Yongsun, her older sister, Chorong, Changsub, and people she doesn't recognise. It's definitely a very homey home in contrast to Byulyi's cold, simple one. Her adoring smile turns wistful.

"Coffee?" Yongsun offers as she heads to the kitchen, snapping Byulyi out of her trance. Byulyi follows her only to be stopped. "Take a seat."

"Alright, thanks," Byulyi obliges, plopping down onto the soft couch.

Yongsun returns with two cups of coffee, one black and one with sugar and milk. She hands Byulyi the cup of black coffee to which the latter gratefully accepts.

Sitting down beside Byulyi with some space between them, she asks, "What did you want to talk about?"

People who aren't close to Yongsun would think that she's calm because her expression looks peaceful but Byulyi knows otherwise by the sound of her deep breathing. She decides to start with their past.

"I want to start from the beginning. Tell my why you left me," Byulyi mumbles.

Yongsun looks at her, incredulous. "You haven't figured it out? After three years?"

Byulyi furrows her brows as Yongsun's words cause her to boil with anger. "Am I supposed to? Shouldn't you be the one to tell me the reason clearly since you were the one who left me?"

Yongsun looks like she wants to blow up but she exhales harshly and stays quiet before answering, "It was for us."

"Huh. You broke up with me, for us? Is there a secret meaning behind those words that I have to figure out by myself again?"

"You knew that I wanted to settle down with you, didn't you? I told you that when we started dating, that I want to live a stable life with my partner, how we'll have kids and live just like the heterosexual couples out there, officially married or not."

Byulyi sets the cup down onto the coffee table in front of her. "And you knew I didn't want that. I made it very clear. Was that wrong? Just because I had a different mindset?"

"It's not wrong!" Yongsun is so frustrated. "The things we both want just didn't align, okay? I guess it was my fault, thinking that one day you'll decide to give in to me. I shouldn't have thought to change you and I owe you an apology for that. I realised I was being unfair to you. I didn't want to hurt you anymore by forcing you to participate in something you clearly didn't want to, and I didn't want us to end up hating each other so that's why I left."

"..."

"I would hurt you either way, by leaving or by insisting that we go ahead with my plans, or I would hurt myself by giving in and forgoing my dreams. I was being selfish and I put myself first. I'm sorry," Yongsun sighs. "And to make things worse, you went and quit your job without telling me. You obviously didn't trust me enough to tell me something so important. I... I was really hurt."

"I didn't tell you that because I knew you'd oppose to it! And you did."

"How did you think I feel? For you to make such a big decision that affects the both of us without informing or consulting me? We were living together, and we were barely living comfortably on both our paychecks. What if your freelance job doesn't take off the way you want it to? We would then be surviving on one paycheck. It affects us both, Byulyi. I wasn't just paying bills, I was also paying off my student loans!"

Byulyi listens silently because she knows Yongsun is right. Yongsun's parents had cut her off while she was in her last year of university because they found out that she was in a homosexual relationship and that she was cohabiting with her girlfriend. She had to take up a loan for her school fees because she was only working part-time and didn't have enough money. She was being unfair to Yongsun because Yongsun would be the one supporting them financially with no say in it. Byulyi hadn't thought of that when she quitted her job because she was also selfishly thinking about herself - she had put her passion first.

"I'm... I'm sorry, too," Byulyi says, looking down on her hands. "I guess we were both self-centered, and that's why it didn't work out for us."

They slip into silence, both deep in thoughts on the past, present, and future. Byulyi absentmindedly reaches for her cup but it slips and crashes onto the floor because she didn't grab it securely. She instinctively moves out of the way of the shattered glass. Yongsun yelps at the loud crashing sound and cowers away from Byulyi to the other end of the couch, surprising the younger.

"I-I'm sorry, it slipped!" Byulyi explains frantically, quickly checking on the older woman who has her hands over her ears, trembling in fear. Guilt floods Byulyi, especially when she gently taps Yongsun but it only serves to worsen the situation as Yongsun screams. "Y-Yong..."

Byulyi is worried and helpless. Her heart breaks at the sight of the older woman and she wants so bad to take her in her arms, to soothe her by rubbing her back but it seems both physical and verbal comforts are useless. She can't even get close without Yongsun flinching.

The sound of the door code being pressed catches Byulyi's attention and her head snaps towards the door where she sees an unfamiliar young woman popping her head in.

"Unnie, I'm gonna go pick the princes-" The woman informs but stops when she locks eyes with an anxious stranger. She looks around and her eyes widen when she notices the broken glass and Yongsun in such a state. Instead of rushing over, she enters, toes off her shoes and walks slowly towards Yongsun, grabbing a blanket lying nearby on her way over. She sits on the coffee table in front of Yongsun and covers Yongsun with the blanket as if it's a habit, waiting for Yongsun to adjust to the contact. She then pulls her into a hug. "You're okay, unnie, you're safe here. No one can and will hurt you, unnie. You're safe."

As the woman pats Yongsun's back gently, Yongsun gradually starts to tremble less and after what seems like forever, she stops.

"You okay now?" The woman asks, pulling back and moving the blanket down from covering her head to her shoulders to look her in the eyes. Yongsun weakly nods and sniffs before tightening the blanket around her. "Good."

The woman glances at Byulyi, who's just standing rigidly a distance away, before getting up slowly and announcing, "Alright, I'll leave you two alone."

"Thanks Wheein." Yongsun forces a smile. "I'll... I'll see you later."

"You're welcome unnie," Wheein smiles back before bidding the both of them goodbye.

The front door closes after Wheein and silence quickly fills the place. Neither of the women know how or where to start talking, asking.

"I'm sorry," Yongsun mutters, flickering her eyes to Byulyi for just a split second before looking down. She doesn't want to look long enough to see the pity in Byulyi's eyes.

"... What for?" Byulyi asks.

Yongsun sighs. "I'm, erm, sorry you had to see this."

Byulyi only stares at her, unsure of how to reply. The older woman beckons for Byulyi to come over and sit beside her. The latter hesitantly obliges, avoiding the broken glass and cautiously leaving some space between them.

"I know you're curious. You can ask me anything and I'll answer you honestly," the older woman says.

Byulyi opens her mouth only to close it again. She struggles to phrase her endless questions in a way that will minimise the hurt they may cause to Yongsun.

Seeing how tough it is for the younger woman, Yongsun speaks up, "Shall I just recount from the start everything that has happened?"

"Yes, please," Byulyi exhales, smiling apologetically.

Yongsun draws a long breath before starting, "After we broke up, I was devastated and I moped around for weeks until my sister decided enough was enough. She gave me a good scolding so that I would get my life together, and I did. I focused on my career. Months later, my parents pushed me to go on a blind date. I opposed at first, but deep down I was desperate to move on so I guess that's why I agreed in the end."

Byulyi listens quietly, nodding for her to continue and she does. "He was handsome, tall, and he had good manners. He really seemed like the perfect husband material. We got married about three months into our relationship because our parents were pushing us to it and I went along with it because... well... that's my dream right? To make a family of my own. So, I agreed when he proposed."

Yongsun pauses to heave a sigh. "For the first few months, he was really good to me. He knew that I haven't gotten over my... 'ex-boyfriend', but he was patiently waiting for me to get over 'him' and fully be his. About six months into our marriage he accidentally chanced upon my photo albums of us, the one you made for me, and he... he changed. He was furious that I lied to him, furious that I didn't tell him about my bisexuality, and he made me cut off all my friendships. He didn't want me socialising with anyone, and when I tried he'd... he'd beat me or throw whatever that's nearest to him at me which is usually a glass of liquor that's why I, erm, that's why it became a trigger. He basically kept me at home, took my phone away, and wouldn't let me go anywhere."

Byulyi only realises she was trembling in anger when she feels Yongsun taking her hand. She feels hot tears spilling from her eyes, streaming down her face when Yongsun softly wipes them away.

"What about your family? Didn't they notice anything?" Byulyi chokes out.

"Not at first. He would always make me give an excuse to decline attending any sort of visiting or gathering. He was afraid I'd tell them or they'd see my injuries. My sister and Chorong were the first two to notice something was up and when they found out from Changsub that I had suddenly tendered my resignation, they started to come to our place to find me. When they did, he would threaten me to keep me quiet and told them I was out."

Byulyi wishes she could meet him because she badly wants to give him a taste of his medicine. She would love to make him kneel and beg for forgiveness but even that is not enough to appease her.

"Then... what did your family say when they found out?"

"They didn't support the divorce because of their reputation. You know how my parents were so against me dating you, right? When he told them that he found out about us, they actually apologised to him and sided with him, saying that it was understandable that he wanted to hit me because they did, too," Yongsun sniffs, the words stabbing her in the heart once again even though it has been years. She was absolutely crushed. "Unnie was there and she fought for me. She was so appalled with them."

Byulyi grounds out, "So am I! What were they thinking? It's atrocious! How can parents say such things? I can't believe it."

"Right?" Yongsun laughs humourlessly. "I cut off all contact with them after."

"What about Sunny? Did he..." Byulyi trails off, not wanting to continue the question because she's deathly afraid that the answer is a yes. Still, she has to know so she can avoid any potential triggers.

Yongsun shakes her head. "Not after she was born."

Byulyi nods only to freeze when she fully registers the words. "H-He... He hurt you when you were pregnant?!"

The older woman looks away. "Yeah, I got pregnant on the fifth month of our marriage, before he found out about everything."

"What the fuck?! I'm gonna kill that motherfucker!" Byulyi rages but she's restraining herself as best as she can so she doesn't scare Yongsun.

Yongsun's hold on her hand tightens slightly. "He can't hurt us anymore, Byul. He's been in a coma ever since the day we finally got a divorce. He drove drunk and got into an accident."

Byulyi pulls Yongsun into a tight hug and cries for a long time, crying for their pasts, crying for what could've been their future, and crying out all the sorrows and regrets. She falls asleep in Yongsun's warm embrace and when she wakes up, it's dark outside and she's alone on the couch with a pillow underneath her head and a blanket covering her body. She sits up slowly. The apartment is silent, the broken glass on the floor is gone, and she guesses she's alone in this place because there's no answer when she calls out for Yongsun. She sighs and folds the blanket, preparing to leave.

Just then, the front door opens. In walk Yongsun and Sunny with big smiles that instantly brighten up Byulyi's dark mood. She notices Yongsun holding some paper bags.

"Greet Byulyi imo," Yongsun tells Sunny as she helps to remove her little shoes.

Sunny peers at Byulyi shyly, slowly walking closer to give a bow. "Hello Bolly imo."

Byulyi waves, getting off the couch to squat in front of Sunny who's fiddling with her hands. "Hello little one. It's Byul-yi but fine, you can call me Bolly until you can pronounce it properly. Can you give me a hug?"

Sunny looks at her mother who nods encouragingly before she walks into Byulyi's open arms that wrap around the small build securely. 

"Thank you," Byulyi breathes, feeling oddly comforted.

"You are staying for dinner right? I got your share too," Yongsun says when Byulyi meets her eyes. 

"Oh, yeah, sure! Thank you." Byulyi picks Sunny up and walks over to the table. Yongsun stops her before they can sit.

"Wash your hands, Byulyi. Help Sunny too, please," Yongsun commands in a motherly tone. She feels warmth blooms in her heart when she sees the two giggling and splashing water at each other. She doesn't even scold them for wetting the floor. It's funny how she still makes an exception for Byulyi in her rules.

They dig in when Yongsun finishes setting up their meal and washing her hands. Byulyi watches the mother and daughter, watches how Yongsun looks so happy even when she's feeding Sunny more than she feeds herself. She can barely remember why she didn't want this. It's too beautiful.

Yongsun looks up when she feels eyes on her, meeting the gaze of her ex-girlfriend. "You're staring very intently."

"Because you're beautiful," Byulyi answers without pause. Yongsun blushes and averts her eyes back to her daughter. "I like that I can still make you blush after so long."

"Stop it," Yongsun huffs, rubbing her cheeks self-consciously. She stops when Byulyi holds a spoon of food to her mouth. "What?"

"I'll feed you since you're too busy feeding her."

Yongsun blinks, flustered. "I... I can eat by myself!"

"Come on, just accept my sweet, thoughtful gesture," Byulyi pouts, bouncing her hand a little.

Yongsun reluctantly obliges, opening her mouth slightly to allow the spoon to enter. Sunny watches them in amusement, clapping her hands when she sees her mother chewing. She points to her now empty mouth, asking for a bite. Byulyi grins, feeding her as well.

When they finish their dinner, Byulyi helps throw the trash away while Yongsun cleans up the kitchen. Byulyi hangs around awkwardly as she waits for Yongsun to be done.

Their eyes meet and Yongsun smiles, washing her hands after putting the table cloth away.

"Are you leaving now?" The older woman asks.

Byulyi contemplates on what her answer should be. She wants to stay a bit longer, of course, but she doesn't want to overstay her welcome.

"Should I leave now?" She settles for this, allowing the older woman to choose.

Yongsun purses her lips, walking closer. She stops right in front of Byulyi, her gaze sincere and longing. "Erm... you can stay longer... or thenightifyouwant."

"Hm? What was that?" Byulyi can actually make out her words but she feels like teasing her just a bit.

"You can stay the night if you want!" The older woman huffs.

"I would like that," Byulyi admits, a shy smile playing on her lips.

"A-Alright. You can take a shower in my en suite while I give Sunny a bath in the other bathroom."

Byulyi nods and follows Yongsun to her room. She looks around as the older woman grabs her a change of clothing, towel, and a new toothbrush. The room is simple yet pretty, with an inviting king-sized bed in the middle covered with blush pink sheets and white fluffy pillows. The bed frame and bedside table are made of light-coloured wood, and so are the other furniture in the room. The walls are white with cute, small floral prints.

"Your room looks sweet," Byulyi comments. 

"Thanks, it was really plain but Wheein suggested for me to change the wallpaper so it looks a little better now."

"That's the girl just now right?"

Yongsun nods gingerly, feeling embarrassed again when she thinks of what happened earlier. "She's actually my next-door neighbour, along with her girlfriend."

"Ah, I see. And she picks Sunny up for you?"

"Yeah, sometimes. She's an artist and her work schedule is pretty flexible, and she loves Sunny, so she volunteered to pick Sunny up when I'm busy. When we are both busy her girlfriend does it instead. Her girlfriend is a really cool girl but a big softie inside."

Byulyi is glad that she has such caring people around her, taking care of the both of them.

"Go take a shower," Yongsun urges. "I have to go give Sunny her bath before she falls asleep."

Yongsun then leaves the room, closing the door behind her. Byulyi heads to the en suite, takes a quick shower and dries herself off before putting on Yongsun's oversized t-shirt that smells of comfort, of home, and most importantly, of Yongsun. She pulls the soft cotton fabric up to her nose to take a deep breath, exhaling after in satisfaction. How can anyone smell so good? 

She folds her worn clothes neatly and pile them up before heading out to the living room. Seeing that the mother and daughter aren't done yet, she wanders around and finds them still in the bathroom. Since the door isn't closed, she leans on the door frame to quietly watch them as they happily play with bath toys.

Byulyi's heart swells hearing their cheerful laughter. She marvels at the tenderness in Yongsun's eyes when she's looking at her daughter. Her bright smile never fails to make Byulyi feel better. How can she still be so lovable even after all this time?"

"The water is cold. You have to come out now, Sunny," Yongsun says, standing up from the stool and unplugging the bathtub to drain the water. She turns around to get the towel when she sees Byulyi already holding it out for her. "Oh, thanks."

Sunny stands up and Yongsun wraps her with the towel, carrying her out of the bathtub with a little grunt. Byulyi steps forward to help dry the little girl off even though she has never done it before. She does it like how she does it to herself, only much gentler.

Yongsun chuckles when she turns around. "Byul-ah, she's not going to break. You can be a little rougher."

"Ah... okay," Byulyi nods, doing it just a tiny bit rougher while wincing.

"Come, let me show you." Yongsun takes the towel from her and demonstrates it quickly. "There, done."

"Shall I help her wear her clothes, then?" Byulyi offers. "You should go shower, it's getting late."

Yongsun contemplates before giving in. "Alright, thanks. I already laid her pajamas out on her bed. Can you dry her hair as well? The hairdryer is in the living room."

"Sure."

Byulyi takes Sunny's hand and brings her to the living room to dry her hair before letting Sunny lead her to her room. Byulyi helps her with the pajamas before taking a couple of minutes to look around. She's in awe because there's so many hamster and rabbit plushies neatly lined against the wall on one of the shelves. There's another soft toy, sitting alone on a small chair, that catches her eyes - a big rabbit in light pink with crescent moons and stars printed all over it. That's the toy she got for Yongsun when they were together and she didn't think she'd keep it until now.

"That's Moonbol," Sunny introduces when she sees Byulyi's eyes lingering on it. "My pwotector when scared."

"Moon... byul? Protector?" Byulyi cocks her head to one side.

Sunny only hums and climbs up into her bed, hugging a big soft bolster to her body. Yongsun enters minutes later, freshly showered, hair dried, bare-faced, and wearing her spectacles. Byulyi smiles, her stomach filled with fluttering butterflies at this sight that she's greatly missed. She really longed to see this Yongsun who looks so soft and babyish that she just wants to squeeze her tight.

"I didn't think you'd still keep this. It's called Moonbyul?" Byulyi points to the pink rabbit plushie with a smirk. Yongsun reddens.

"Oh, yeah," Yongsun lets out an awkward laughter. "Sunny likes it so I left it in her room to keep her accompany for when she gets afraid if she wakes up in the middle of the night."

Byulyi nods. "Did you name it?"

"Er... yeah I did. I, erm, I missed you and it's the closest thing I have of you," Yongsun bashfully admits, averting her eyes from her ex-girlfriend.

She looks up after a moment of silence to see Byulyi's nose wrinkling smile, the one that only appears when she's on cloud nine. The corners of Yongsun's lips tug upwards without her knowledge at the sight of that smile. A light snore snaps them out of their little moment and they look to Sunny's bed to see her fast asleep, her mouth ajar and the bolster lying on top of her body.

Byulyi chuckles, stroking one of Sunny's smooth chubby cheeks with the side of her index finger. "I can't believe how much she takes after you. She knocked out as fast as you used to do."

Yongsun pouts, rolling her eyes. She moves to tuck Sunny in, covering her with the blanket so she doesn't catch a cold. When she's done, she leans down to place a soft kiss on Sunny's forehead.

"Come on, let's go to bed, too," Yongsun beckons, leaving the room. "Don't close the doors fully."

"Alright."

Byulyi follows Yongsun to her room and stands awkwardly by the bed. Yongsun climbs into bed, takes off her glasses and leaves it on the bedside table before patting the space beside her.

"Come on."

"Oh, okay." Byulyi does as she says but not without leaving a gap between them. She feels weirdly nervous like it's her first time lying beside Yongsun. Her hands are clammy and her senses heightened. The smell of Yongsun's lily and pear scented body lotion has filled her nostrils since she returned from her shower but to smell it this close is intoxicating. Byulyi feels drunk off it and she wants nothing more than to pepper the older woman's soft skin with kisses, to smell this scent straight off her skin. Keeping a distance is good, since it doesn't feel right to jump right into intimacy after years of no contact.

They lie in bed, in silence, just listening to the sounds of each other's soft breathing.

Yongsun turns her head slightly to face Byulyi. "You know what? I realised I didn't ask you if you are currently dating anyone."

"I wouldn't have stayed if I am," Byulyi answers, turning to face her as well.

The older woman clears her throat. "Right."

"I've dated a few people in the past three years but honestly, none could fill my heart like you. It's very frustrating."

Yongsun smiles and averts her gaze to the ceiling, her cheeks dusted with pink. "Byul?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry for breaking your heart. Thank you for not running away when we met in the cafe, when we met again, and when I was a mess."

Hearing no response and some slight movement, she turns to find Byulyi with her arm that's between them extended towards her, patting her bicep with her other hand. Yongsun grins and shifts to lie her head on it. Byulyi then pulls her close, both revelling in the comforting warmth radiating off each other.

Yongsun shivers lightly when she feels Byulyi running her hands up and down her back. The latter may have meant for it to be soothing but it only encourages the racing of Yongsun's heart, the touch sending tingles all over her body, making her feel things she hasn't felt in a while.

"Unnie," Byulyi calls, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm sorry for hurting you too. You know what I feel guilty about the most? It's that you were hurting because you knew that you were hurting me but I didn't even know I was hurting you. All I did was blame you when I should've reflected on myself."

The older woman cranes her neck to look at Byulyi, lifting her hand to cup her face gently.

"We're both sorry, so how about leaving the past where it belongs?" Yongsun suggests. "It's time we live for the present and future. Those are more important, aren't they?"

Byulyi's beams, eyes twinkling brightly, looking as adorable as an excited little hamster. "Future? You still want a future with me?"

"I want it as much as you do, so tell me how much do you want it?"

As soon as those words leave Yongsun's mouth, Byulyi moves to hover over Yongsun, looking into her eyes, into her bare soul to show her earnestness before leaning down to capture her shapely lips with her own.

Their lips dance together for the first time in years but it doesn't feel foreign at all, only more eloquent. Yongsun sucks on Byulyi's lower lip, moving her hands into the latter's hair to gently rub her scalp the way she loves it, eliciting a soft moan from the latter who tenderly strokes Yongsun's cheek with her thumb. The kiss is sweet and probably even more loving than the kisses they've had in the past. Perhaps it's because they've once lost each other that they've learnt to cherish and enjoy every moment, every touch.

Byulyi pulls away before the kiss can deepen, smirking when Yongsun moves with her to keep their lips in contact. She shakes her head, pushing Yongsun's forehead lightly to make her head fall back down onto the bed. She wants to laugh at the pout on Yongsun's face.

"Unnie, I want you to know that I want what you want, but not tonight. Let's not go too fast, okay?" Byulyi murmurs, nuzzling Yongsun's neck. "Baby, you don't know how much I'm controlling myself right now."

"I think I do," Yongsun deadpans, reaching down Byulyi's panties to press her fingers hard against Byulyi's nether regions where it's hot and dripping before breaking into a teasing grin when she hears her sharp intake of breath. She pulls her hand out to examine her fingers that are slicked with Byulyi's essence.

"Unnie," Byulyi whines, moving away from Yongsun to lie down beside her, taking the chance to press her thighs together to try and calm the throbbing down there. "You're not playing fair."

Yongsun chuckles, putting her fingers into her mouth despite Byulyi's vehement protests. "Mmm, you taste even better now."

"Unnie!!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please pardon me if the anxiety attack/abuse/trauma are not portrayed accurately because I neither have first-hand experience nor did I study about such topics before so I'm just writing based on my imagination and from the dramas that I have watched in the past.
> 
> Also, thank you for waiting, and thank you for all the kudos and comments ♡ I appreciate every single one of you!


	5. Chapter 5

Byulyi's nose twitches when she feels something prodding it, rousing her from her deep sleep. She lazily swats whatever it is away, almost falling back to sleep when she feels a weight on her chest.

She unwillingly cracks an eye open to see Sunny lying her head sideways on her chest, smiling cheekily at Byulyi who nearly jumps out of her skin at the unexpected sight. Sunny lands cheek-first onto the bed.

"Sorry!" Byulyi gasps, inching back towards Sunny who's pouting. She sits the little girl up and softly rubs her chubby cheek. "Does it hurt?"

"No." Sunny shakes her head but continues pouting. "Hug?"

"Hug," Byulyi smiles, opening her arms and enveloping Sunny in them, rocking side to side.

Yongsun opens the door of her room to see the heartwarming sight, and she quickly springs to action, taking out her phone from her apron's pocket to take a video. When she's done, she saves the video and walks in to get their attention.

"Good morning," Yongsun greets the grinning younger woman.

"Good morning unnie. Did you put Sunny on the bed?"

"Yeah, I wanted to make breakfast but she wouldn't stop asking to be carried so I tasked her with accompanying you," Yongsun shrugs. "Why? Did she disturb you?"

"Nope, I got a surprise is all."

Yongsun nods and takes Sunny from Byulyi. "Come on, let's go have breakfast. I just finished cooking it."

"I'll go wash up first."

"Alright."

Byulyi gets out of bed and into the en suite, quickly brushing her teeth and washing her face. When she's done with her skincare routine, she leaves for the kitchen.

Sunny is sulking because she's hungry but Yongsun doesn't allow her to tuck in until Byulyi joins them.

"Sorry kiddo," Byulyi chuckles, gesturing for Yongsun to get up from the seat beside Sunny. "I'll feed her."

"Nah, it's fine, go ahead and eat. I can do it."

"You cooked, so I'll feed her."

"It's fine, Byu-"

Byulyi frowns and lifts Yongsun up bridal-style, cutting the latter off and eliciting a gasp from her, and gently sets her down opposite them. She sends the latter a wink before moving back to the seat beside Sunny, taking it. 

Yongsun huffs but deep down, she's swooning over what Byulyi just did. How is it possible that Byulyi can make her heart race so easily? 

"Anyway, what are your plans for today? It's Saturday and there's no work. Speaking of work, I never did ask you what you're working as now. Still a teacher?"

"No, I guess I have you to thank for that," Yongsun smiles shyly. "I'm now a songwriter and vocal trainer for idols. I was able to chase my dream because you did."

Byulyi's eyes widen and shine with pride. "What? That's amazing Yong!"

Yongsun nods, blushing madly. She scoops some food for Byulyi who's only focused on feeding Sunny. "Here." 

"Thanks," Byulyi grins, happily accepting it.

"Byul-ah, would you like to go to the park with us today? We can get some ice cream after."

"Sure!"

Sunny's ears perk up at the mention of the cold, sweet dessert. "Ice cweam?!"

"Yes, ice cweam."

* * *

Byulyi takes a seat on the bench under the tree as Yongsun gently pushes Sunny on a swing. She watches them and decides the scene's too cute to not be captured. Her phone's camera will have to do for now since she doesn't have her professional camera with her.

She takes dozens of photos and videos, her lips curling up into a big smile as she reviews them after. 

"What are you smiling at?" Yongsun asks as she walks back to Byulyi with Sunny in her arms.

"Look." Byulyi passes her phone to Yongsun, who looks at the screen with wide eyes.

"Wow, your photography skills have improved."

"Thanks." Byulyi bashfully averts her gaze to Sunny, grabbing some wet tissues to wipe Sunny's hands before wiping Yongsun's. "Had fun? Shall we go get ice cream now?"

"Yes!" Sunny squeals, raising her arms up in the air and causing Yongsun to wobble slightly at her sudden action. Byulyi springs up to steady her by holding her waist. "Leggo!"

Yongsun chuckles with a nod. "Alright, leggo!"

They start walking to a nearby ice cream store with Sunny skipping cheerfully while holding both Yongsun and Byulyi's hands, occasionally skipping high when the two women lift her up from the ground. The weather may be hot and sunny but the clear skies and chirping birds put everyone in a good mood.

It's not long before they step into the ice cream store, revelling in the cool air emitting from the air conditioner. 

"What flavour do you want, Sunny?" Byulyi bends down to ask.

"Chocowate!"

"You're just like your mom," Byulyi smiles, amused. "Yong, I suppose you're getting chocowate too?"

Yongsun nods with bright eyes. "How about you? Mint chocolate? That's your favourite right?"

"Ew." Byulyi's face contorts with disgust, causing Yongsun to laugh. The former pouts at being teased. 

"Alright, alright."

"Go get seats with Sunny, I'll go get the ice cream." 

Yongsun leads Sunny to a booth in the corner of the shop and a staff helps bring a baby chair over. After thanking the staff and settling Sunny into the chair, she looks up and beams when she sees the younger woman approaching with three ice cream cones and a big smile.

"Here you go, little princess." Byulyi passes one of the chocolate ice cream cones to Sunny. "I got you bunny marshmallows too."

"Thank you!" Sunny's eyes bend into crescents, hands reaching out to grab the cone happily and digging right in.

"And this is yours, my queen," Byulyi winks, handing Yongsun hers. "I got yours with brownie chunks."

"T-Thanks." Yongsun's cheeks redden. She starts to lick her ice cream before it melts but stops when she sees Byulyi wiggling her eyebrows, a corner of her lips tilting up into a suggestive smirk. "Hey!"

"What?" Byulyi changes into an innocent expression, blinking slowly. "Why are you shouting at me? Sunny-ah, why is your mother shouting at me? I'm sad."

Sunny glares at her mother as she chews on a marshmallow. "Eomma, no!"

Yongsun gapes at the duo before huffing. "Wow, now you two are teaming up against me?"

"Uh-huh, high five little princess!" Byulyi reaches her hand forward and the little girl excitedly slaps it with her own tiny one that's covered in sticky, dried chocolate ice cream.

Sunny grins, poking her tongue out at her mother who fondly rolls her eyes while she digs her bag for a packet of wet tissue. Byulyi stops her. "You can clean her hands later. Your ice cream is melting." 

"Right, okay," Yongsun nods before catching a droplet of melted ice cream in its track down the cone with her tongue. Byulyi heaves a soft sigh at the sight, wanting nothing more than to feel that at her nether regions. She quickly shakes her head to clear her thoughts when she feels a throbbing there. She shouldn't keep thinking of such things in the presence of an innocent little child. "Why is your face so red, Byul?"

"H-Huh? No it isn't!" The shade of red in Byulyi's cheeks darkens.

The older woman narrows her eyes at her, having an inkling of what she's thinking about. "Yes it is!"

"Fine, I'm not going to look at you." Byulyi pouts, turning her attention to her own ice cream. Her pout grows when she hears Yongsun stifling a giggle.

* * *

The sun has set and the three of them are spent from having fun so they decide to head back home to rest. Sunny has become grouchy, not wanting to continue walking because she's getting sleepy so Byulyi squats down in front of the little girl, back facing her.

"Byul?" Yongsun looks at her questioningly for stopping all of a sudden.

"I'll piggyback you, Sunny," Byulyi offers. The little girl immediately accepts it with a grin, wrapping her arms around Byulyi's neck and interlocking her fingers, resting her hands on Byulyi's collar bones. "But let me make it clear, no drooling!"

Sunny giggles and rests her right cheek on her right shoulder. Byulyi grabs the back of Sunny's thighs and, after making sure that she's secured, stands up to continue walking.

Yongsun smiles, warmth flooding into her heart just by the sight of the two. They feel like a family - a real, loving family. Just the mere thought of it brings tears to her eyes. Maybe she has gotten ahead of herself, thinking of such things even though it hasn't been long since they reconnected, but this is something she couldn't have imagined in the past three years when she was raising Sunny alone. 

A gentle touch on her arm breaks her reverie and she turns to see Byulyi looking at her with worry in her eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Why are you crying, Yong?"

"I just... I just feel really happy that we can be together like this," Yongsun sniffs, quickly wiping her tears away. "I never could've imagined that we'd ever meet again, and certainly never expected you to be so loving towards Sunny."

"I understand how you feel because it still feels surreal to me as well. It's been my dream since the day we parted to be like this again." Byulyi frees one hand to interlock it with Yongsun's. "And she's a mini you, how can I not love her?"

Yongsun doesn't say anything, her tears only falling faster. Byulyi stops walking and tugs for the older woman to stop walking so that they can face each other. She gently wipes the streaks of tears off the older woman's cheeks, gazing in her eyes tenderly.

"Unnie, I don't care if it's too soon," Byulyi pauses too take a deep breath before continuing, "I love you. I don't think I've ever stopped loving you because that's just not possible for me so... I'll love you as a whole, you and everything that comes with you."

At this point, Yongsun is sobbing so hard she can barely speak coherently but Byulyi can make out the repeated "I love you's" and that's enough to make her cry in elation.

"Don't cry," Yongsun laughs tearfully before pointing to Sunny who has dozed off on Byulyi's back. "You'll wake her!"

The two chuckle sheepishly, partly embarrassed for crying and partly shy for confessing, before interlocking their hands again, continuing their journey home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I took so long to update and thank you for waiting for me! It's just, I've been editing this chapter a lot because I'm not very satisfied with it (along with procrastinating...... heh) which is why it took a while.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's light mention of abuse in this chapter. Please proceed with caution if it is triggering for you.

Soft whimpers rouse Byulyi from her sleep. She was never a deep sleeper, so it doesn't take much to wake her up. Her eyes open to almost complete darkness, save for the moonlight shining through the window. She sits up and reaches her arm out to feel around on the bedside table for the night lamp's switch, flicking it on when she finds it.

She blinks a couple of times to get used to the brightness before turning to the source of the noise - Yongsun - who's beside her, trembling and whimpering in her sleep, beads of cold sweat dotting her forehead.

"Yong?" Byulyi calls, her voice husky. She clears her throat before continuing, "Yong? Wake up!"

Yongsun stirs but remains asleep. Worried, she shakes the older woman. It takes a few more attempts before Yongsun finally jolts awake with a sharp gasp, breathing heavily.

"Yong, you okay?" Byulyi asks anxiously, her hands cupping Yongsun's warm cheeks, her eyes searching Yongsun's hazy ones hurriedly.

Upon seeing Byulyi, Yongsun visibly relaxes but to Byulyi's surprise, she soon bursts into tears. The younger woman quickly pulls her into her arms, rocking her to try and calm her down.

"It's okay baby, I'm here. You're safe," Byulyi mutters into Yongsun's hair, stroking it gently. "You're safe."

Yongsun sobs into Byulyi's chest, nodding to show that she hears her but she simply cannot stop crying. Her emotions overwhelm her. Ever since she's been abused for the first time, she's been having nightmares of it, the horrifying reality replaying itself in her mind, torturing her even when she's asleep. The nightmares were pretty frequent in the beginning, and it was incredibly taxing because she was pregnant and subsequently, taking care of a newborn baby. It had taken a toll on her body, which was why Sunny wasn't born very healthily and that made her feel really guilty even though she knew it wasn't exactly her fault.

To survive, she'd learnt to cope with it, but that doesn't mean she hasn't had moments where she just wanted to give up. It was her older sister and Chorong who had helped her tremendously, and then Wheein and Hyejin when they came into her life. However, they couldn't always be there whenever she needed them since they have their own lives to live so she decided to go to therapy for the sake of Sunny and herself. She had stopped going after her condition improved, but the nightmares still occur occasionally.

Having someone hold her through her pain, her nightmares, and soothing her is something she has desperately wanted but learned to live without. 

"It's okay to cry, baby. Cry it all out just like this," Byulyi tells her when she senses the older woman trying to suppress herself. "Just let it all out. It's okay to not be okay, it's okay to not be strong all the time, Yong. You don't have to pretend to be strong in front of me, okay?"

Byulyi discreetly blinks her own tears away, not wanting to make the older woman feel even worse than she already is feeling. She can't even begin to imagine what the past few years must have been like for Yongsun, having to cope with her trauma while raising a baby all on her own. She feels nauseous just thinking about it.

It's a while before Yongsun stops crying. She wipes Yongsun's tears and sweat away with her pajama sleeve and the latter grabs her hand, pulling it towards her lips.

"Thank you," Yongsun rasps out, giving the younger woman's hand a light kiss.

"You're welcome." Byulyi leans her forehead on Yongsun's, looking into her puffy eyes tenderly. "Want to talk about it?"

After seconds of hesitation, Yongsun nods. "I sometimes still get nightmares about him. It used to happen a lot but now it's probably once every two weeks."

"What are they about?" Byulyi carefully asks.

The older woman averts her eyes and pulls away ever so slightly. "They're usually about him hitting me in private, like in our apartment, but sometimes I dream of him hitting me in front of our families and they would look at me with such uncaring eyes that... that the beatings actually hurt less than their indifference."

Byulyi lets slip a sob, her heart aching so bad for the agony the love of her life has suffered, and she buries her face in Yongsun's hair, not wanting her to see her cry. She feels soft pats on her head that makes her cry harder because she shouldn't be the one being consoled. She should be comforting Yongsun right now, but there Yongsun is, selflessly trying to comfort her instead.

"I'm sorry," Byulyi sniffs.

"What for?"

"For crying."

"Byul-ah," Yongsun calls, pushing her away slightly so that they can look at each other. "Don't be sorry. You said to not pretend to be strong, and that applies to you as well."

"I just... I'm sorry you had to go through all of that..."

"No, stop apologising. I was the one who chose to marry him."

Byulyi presses her index finger against Yongsun's lips to shut her up. "Yes, but you didn't choose to marry an abuser, Yong."

"I know."

"I... if only I had agreed to marry you, this wouldn't have happened."

"Stop it, Byul-ah. It's not your fault and I wouldn't want you to marry me out of obligation." Yongsun yawns, feeling drained all of a sudden, and the younger woman smiles fondly at her cuteness that shines even in such a situation. "Byul?"

"Okay, let's sleep for now, baby. You must be so tired."

"You too. I disturbed your sleep."

"It's fine, I'd rather see you than sleep anyway," Byulyi winks.

Yongsun groans at her cheesy comment, her hand reaching up to mess the latter's hair. "Moon Byulyi!"

The younger woman giggles at her reaction, moving closer to nuzzle her neck and pulling her so they lie back down on the bed. She reaches her hand out to turn off the night lamp before wrapping her arms around Yongsun again.

"Fine, I'll continue when we wake up. Go back to sleep now, baby."

She receives a blissful sigh in response. It's not long before she hears deep, stable breathing, indicating that the older woman has fallen asleep. 'Some things never change,' Byulyi thinks amusedly as she closes her eyes, trying to fall back asleep as well.

* * *

Byulyi awakes to laughter. She turns to see the space beside her empty and groggily checks her phone to see that it's already past ten in the morning. Sighing, she stretches her body like a starfish before getting up to go to the bathroom for a quick wash-up.

When she's done, she exits Yongsun's room to more people than she's expected to see - Yongsun, Sunny, Wheein, and another woman who looks pretty intimidating in her opinion. They are seated at the dining table, having their breakfast while chatting lightheartedly.

"Oh, you're up!" Yongsun waves her over to the empty seat beside her. "Come here, I'll introduce you to my neighbours."

Byulyi walks the long way to give Sunny, who's trying to get her attention, a hug before taking her seat. "Hello, I'm Moon Byulyi."

"Hello, I'm Jung Wheein. We've met two days ago," Wheein smiles, revealing a dimple on her right cheek.

Byulyi nods, returning her smile before looking to the woman she's meeting for the first time, and the latter holds a hand up. "Hello, I'm Ahn Hyejin, Wheein's girlfriend."

"Byul-ah, they're both twenty-two but Wheein's older by three months," Yongsun informs her before turning to her neighbours, "and Byul's twenty-five."

"Can we call you Byulyi unnie?" Wheein asks, looking as adorable as a puppy.

"Sure!" Byulyi agrees immediately.

"Okay, now eat or the food will get cold," Yongsun orders, placing a plate of omelette in front of her.

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

Hyejin's not as intimidating when Byulyi sees her play with Sunny. She can see what Yongsun meant when she said that Hyejin is a big softie because the youngest woman babbles like a baby to communicate with Sunny, and they mysteriously seem to understand each other. What's more interesting is that although Yongsun understands Sunny, she can barely make out what Hyejin is saying but Byulyi somehow understands Hyejin, even helping to interpret what she said to Yongsun and Wheein, who are baffled at the situation.

At the end of the day, the three younger women have gotten much closer, to Yongsun's delight. The younger couple leaves for their apartment next door, much to Sunny's displeasure, since they have to go to work tomorrow.

"Ah... I have to go, too, since I have a meeting in the morning," Byulyi grumbles when the front door closes after the younger couple. "Wow, I just realised I haven't been home for almost three days."

Yongsun's face falls, forgetting that they are living apart because in just two days, they have easily gone back to how they used to be when they were living together. It's amazing how effortless things are between them.

"Don't worry, I'll be back with my clothes after my meeting tomorrow," Byulyi grins. "You can't get rid of me so easily, not when it took me so long to be with you again."

Yongsun's face brightens up and she looks away shyly, causing the younger woman to chuckle. "Okay, bye. Come on Sunny, let's go take a bath."

"Aye, is someone shy?" Byulyi teases, walking over to wrap her arms around her waist.

"N-No!"

"Yeah, sure."

After sending her a mock glare, Yongsun moves out of her hold to pick Sunny up. "Stop it and just go home."

"Yes ma'am!" Byulyi salutes before ruffling Sunny's hair. "Kiddo, see you tomorrow!"

"Yes ma'am!" The little girl imitates.

* * *

After putting Sunny in bed, Yongsun quickly showers and dries her hair before getting into her own. It's funny how Byulyi has only slept in this bed for two nights and suddenly the bed feels too big, too empty. She sighs and pulls the blanket up to her chin, hoping that she doesn't have a nightmare tonight.

She's startled when her phone suddenly starts to vibrate on her bedside table, quickly grabbing it to see that she has an incoming call from Byulyi. The corners of her lips automatically lift into a smile.

"Hi," Yongsun answers the call calmly even though she feels a thousand butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"Yong!" Comes the excited voice of the younger woman that makes Yongsun's heart race. "Are you in bed?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Me too," Byulyi sighs. "My bed doesn't feel comfortable anymore."

Yongsun chuckles. "Mine too, I was just thinking about how my bed feels so empty now that you aren't here."

"Really?" Byulyi asks happily. "I miss you already, Yong. Actually, no, I've missed you as soon as I stepped out of your house. I nearly ran back in, you know?"

Yongsun groans at her cheesiness, covering her face with the pillow beside her to hide her blush even though no one's looking but she regrets it immediately because she can smell Byulyi's scent on it. It's making her miss her even more.

"Hehe."

They stay silent for a bit, just listening to each other breathe. It makes them feel like they are lying side by side.

Byulyi breaks the silence after it stretches a little too long for her liking. "Yong, you're not asleep, right?"

"Nope, I'm not."

"Do you still remember how it was like when we first started dating? We also spoke on the phone like this until you fell asleep."

"Yeah, of course I remember. You made me sing lullabies to you but I ended up falling asleep first," Yongsun laughs, still finding it absurd.

Byulyi joins in, cackling at the good, old memories they share. "So... can you sing for me again, please?"

"Hm? Now?"

"Yes, now."

After hesitating for a bit, Yongsun takes in a deep breath, clearing her throat before belting out softly, 

_"Even if the road I travel is rough and long_

_It is pleasant if I travel with you_

_If the morning sun shines down on our road_

_I will tell you that I'm happy_

_No matter how much I look around_

_The best thing is being together with you_

_You are the person who gives me happiness_

_Even if the road I travel is rough and long_

_You are the person who gives me happiness-"_

She stops singing when she hears sniffing from the other end of the line. "Byul?"

"Hm?"

"Are you... crying?"

She hears the younger woman clearing her throat before croaking, "Maybe."

Yongsun feels her own eyes welling up slightly. "You know, you're still the person who gives me happiness, Byul-ah."

"Mhm."

"And... I love you."

Byulyi chokes out a sob before covering the microphone part of her phone. She takes some time to calm herself down before removing her hand from it to utter, "Yong, I love you too. I love you so, so much."

Yongsun hums in bliss, wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her pajamas. "Shall we sleep now? You have to wake up early tomorrow, right?"

"I don't want to," the younger woman protests, kicking her blanket like a child.

"Seriously? You're such a baby."

"But I'm your baby."

Yongsun titters, saying, "Sunny's my baby."

Byulyi grunts. "Okay, fine. You're my baby, then! You're my sweetheart, my darling, my love, my cutie pi-"

"Ugh, Byul-ah! Stop being greasy and go to sleep, please."

"Alright... goodnight."

Yongsun smiles. "Goodnight."

"Don't dream of him tonight, dream of me instead."

"I hope so too. Now hang up."

"No, you hang up first. I'll sleep after that."

"Byul, you hang up first."

Byulyi tuts. "Unnie."

"We're just like teenagers," Yongsun laughs before covering her mouth, afraid that she may wake Sunny up. "Let's just hang up at the same time."

"Good idea. I'll count down," Byulyi offers. "Three, two, one."

There is a silence before Yongsun whispers, "Hello?"

"Hey! You didn't hang up!"

"Well, neither did you! I will count down this time and I'm definitely going to end the call on one."

"Yeah, yeah. Me too."

Yongsun inhales and before she can start counting, she hears beeps that signify the call has ended. "Ugh, Moon Byulyi!"

She can practically hear the younger woman's evil laughter from a few subway stations away. Huffing, she turns off the night lamp and pulls the blanket over her head. It's not long before she falls asleep but the smile playing on her lips remains as she has her first sweet dream in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still not over how Yong practically sang this song with Byul in mind 😢 tell me they aren't real!!! (but like, please don't because to me they are 😭)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's smut in this chapter so please only proceed if you're comfortable with it.

Byulyi can barely keep herself awake during the business meeting but she doesn't regret staying up late last night even though Junghwan has been shooting her knowing looks and playful glares all morning. As soon as the meeting is over, she sheepishly bids Junghwan goodbye and rushes home to do some cleaning and laundry. That's the good thing about being a freelancer - she's free until she's busy and right now, she's pretty free. However, she knows she'll be buried in a pile of work a week or two from now so until then, she's going to make full use of her free time. 

She packs some clothing and necessities into a duffle bag before texting Yongsun to see where she is. When she receives an almost immediate reply that the older woman is at home, she heads out with a spring in her step.

The door flies open as soon as Byulyi presses the doorbell and she is greeted by a huge smile. Warmth fills her heart knowing that Yongsun was waiting for her so excitedly.

"Hi," Yongsun greets, suddenly feeling shy at her own enthusiasm.

Byulyi responds by putting her bag down and spreading her arms out. The older woman immediately attacks her with a tight hug.

"Mmm... I missed you." Byulyi inhales Yongsun's scent deeply and exhales in contentment, running her hands up and down her back. "This is so nice."

"Yeah." They stay that way for a few minutes. "I'm all recharged. Let me go now."

"I'm not, though," Byulyi whines, tightening her arms around her.

Yongsun pries her arms away and picks her bag off the ground. "That's too bad. I have to pick Sunny up in two hours."

"I wanna go with you!"

"Well, you are going with me."

"Hehe."

The older woman shakes her head in amusement, feeling like she now has two children. "Come on, go put your stuff away. I, erm, made some space for you."

"Aw, look at you! You've been looking forward to this, huh?" Byulyi smirks, sending her a wink to which she groans at.

"Moon Byulyi, just go unpack!" Yongsun looks away to hide her red, burning cheeks. 

Byulyi laughs and skips to Yongsun's bedroom, with Yongsun following behind. The latter points to the part of her wardrobe that is now empty, awaiting for its new owner. Byulyi smiles and starts to fill it with her own clothing. Then, she sets her toiletries in the en suite before putting her bag away. 

She walks out into the living room after she's done to find the older woman watching a movie. 

"Unnie."

Yongsun tears her eyes away from the television to look up. "You done?"

"Yeah." Byulyi plops down beside Yongsun, lays her head on her shoulder, and takes her hand. "Unnie, I was thinking... since we have some time before we have to pick Sunny up, should we go on a short date?"

"Hm... where should we go?"

Byulyi considers for a bit before suggesting, "Ah, let's go to the arcade we used to go to. It's pretty nearby isn't it?"

Yongsun nods, standing up instantly. "Let's go, then!"

Byulyi also stands, taking her into her arms and nuzzling her neck with fondness. "Okay baby. I like how excited you are."

A soft moan slips out from Yongsun's throat when Byulyi accidentally brushes her lips against a sensitive spot on her neck, causing both of them to freeze. Byulyi smirks, repeating the action before sucking on the spot, intensifying the tingles Yongsun is feeling all over her body.

"Byul-ah!" Yongsun gasps when she feels her tongue teasing the newly-formed hickey, hands grasping Byulyi's shirt, pulling her closer even though they're already pressed against each other.

Byulyi detaches her lips to join them with Yongsun's soft ones, hands going up to cup her cheeks. The kiss starts gently but it isn't long before it escalates into something more passionate. Yongsun nibbles on Byulyi's lower lip and slips her tongue into the latter's mouth when her lips part slightly.

The younger woman sighs at the sensations caused by their tongues playing together, creating delicious friction. She grips both sides of Yongsun's waist, pushing her to sit back down on the couch and straddles her, hands moving quickly to remove Yongsun's top.

Yongsun breaks away from the kiss, stopping her hands. "W-Wait, what about the date?"

"Change of plans!" With that, Byulyi takes off both their tops, inhaling sharply when she sees that Yongsun is completely naked underneath her oversized t-shirt, her glorious body greeting her right away. She takes a couple seconds to admire her enhanced curves. Her eyes gravitates to Yongsun's firm breasts that have become fuller. "Wow, thank you Sunny."

"Fu-"

Byulyi giggles, carefully taking one breast in each hand, squeezing the supple flesh in awe. Her thumbs stroke the erected nipples, causing the older woman to mewl. "You like that?"

"Mhm, you know it."

Byulyi guides her to lie down and she shifts to hover over her so that she can take a nipple in her warm mouth, sucking it gently. Yongsun's back arches up at the feeling, hands tangling themselves in Byulyi's hair and pulling it every time a wave of pleasure hits her.

"You're more sensitive now," Byulyi comments when her mouth lets go of the current nipple, moving to the other one, tonguing it.

"Oh fuck, Byul-ah!" Yongsun cries out, the friction intensifying the pleasure. She can feel herself getting wet along with the growing ache in her nether regions.

Byulyi notices her squeezing her thighs so she reaches down and pushes them apart, pressing her clit with her fingertips, rubbing it in a clockwise direction leisurely. Yongsun hisses, lifting her hips to get her to move faster.

"Patience, baby, patience," Byulyi coos, swiftly pecking her cheek. "You're so wet, so ready for me huh?"

"Yes, I am," she chokes out, pulling Byulyi down by her neck to press her lips on her jaw, trailing kisses to her earlobe before nibbling it gently. "You smell good, Byul. Hm... you smell so good..."

Byulyi inhales sharply, feeling her self-control slip away. She had planned to take it slow since it's been so long and she wants to savour Yongsun thoroughly but it's definitely not easy. She moves her fingers faster and it's not long before Yongsun reaches her climax with a groan. Without waiting for her to recover, Byulyi slides a finger into her dripping entrance, pumping at a consistent speed.

"Oh baby, you're so tight, so hot," Byulyi whispers in her ears, slightly breathless. "I can feel you clenching down on my finger."

Yongsun's moans rise in octave, encouraging the younger woman to insert another finger and speed up her administration while kneading one of Yongsun's breasts carelessly. 

"F-Fuck, Byul, I'm gonna come!"

"Yes, come for me now like a good girl," Byulyi orders, voice husky and eyes blazing. Yongsun loves it when Byulyi acts authoritatively because it's honestly so damn hot. She will never tell her that, though, because the latter would definitely be smug about it.

"Byul-ah! I'm gonna-" Yongsun reaches her second orgasm with a shout before she can finish her words.

Byulyi presses light, tender kisses all over her face as she helps her ride out her high. When the older woman finally catches her breath, Byulyi pulls out her fingers that are drenched in sticky, sweet essence. She puts them in her mouth, sucking, humming, all the while maintaining eye contact with the older woman who's squirming once again. She misses the taste of the love of her life so much. "Mm... one more time?"

Yongsun tiredly shakes her head, covering her throbbing nether regions with her hands, saying in mock seriousness, "I may faint."

"Dramatic."

Yongsun pouts. Before Byulyi can get off her, Yongsun grabs her thigh with one hand to keep her from moving and presses her palm against the area where a dark spot is growing on the jeans. Byulyi shudders at the sudden contact that aggravates the pulsing she's feeling down there. "Look at how wet you are."

Byulyi grabs her hand, stilling it. "Do we have time?"

"Mhm, definitely enough time for you to come three times."

"What?!"

"Yep."

"Alrighty, bring it on."

"... Really?"

* * *

To say Sunny is excited seeing both her mother and Byulyi come pick her up is an understatement. She hasn't stopped talking since they left the child care centre and Yongsun is amazed. According to Yongsun, Sunny isn't usually so talkative. Byulyi is happy that the little girl seems to like her very much.

The younger woman takes Sunny's hand and bag while Yongsun lags behind since she is spent from their activity prior to leaving the house. For Yongsun's sake (and Sunny's because she still isn't supposed to have heavily-seasoned food), they have decided to have dinner at home. Byulyi has volunteered to make bibimbap since she only has to stir-fry some vegetables, mushrooms, and meat, and lightly season them before mixing them with freshly cooked rice, red pepper sauce (for the adults), fried eggs, and fragrant sesame oil. It's relatively easy for someone who doesn't cook often or well.

Before returning home, they stop by a cake shop just five minutes away from the apartment to get dessert.

"Strawberry shortcake?" Byulyi asks Yongsun, who nods enthusiastically, before bending down to face Sunny. "How about the little princess?"

"Chocowate!"

Chuckling, Byulyi pats her head lightly then head to the counter to order two slices of cake to take away.

"You sure you don't want anything? Something with red bean?" Yongsun joins her at the counter, holding Sunny's hand.

"Nope, I've already had my dessert," Byulyi winks when the cashier goes to pack their order up, continuing with a lower tone, "but I wouldn't mind a second serving before bed."

The older woman's cheeks redden almost instantly and she glances around, gaping. "Don't say things like that outside!"

"It sounds perfectly normal. You're making it weird because you overreact like this."

Before Yongsun can respond further, the cashier returns to pass Byulyi a paper bag with the cakes neatly packed inside, smiling too wide and her hand lingering a little too long on Byulyi's for Yongsun's liking. 

The older woman clears her throat and shoots them both a glare before turning on her heels to exit the shop with Sunny. Byulyi barely manages to suppress her laughter at the older woman's expression.

She thanks the blushing cashier and quickly follows after the two gleefully. She feels assured now that she knows Yongsun still gets jealous even though it feels scary sometimes. Yongsun's expressionless face is enough to make Byulyi tremble.

"Slow down, Yong. Sunny's about to fly," Byulyi teases when she finally catches up with them. She passes the paper bag to Yongsun and picks Sunny up with ease, settling the little girl on her hips. Sunny immediately buries her face into the crook of Byulyi's neck. She must've been tired from playing and talking.

Yongsun stops walking with a frown. Byulyi looks at her questioningly.

"Sorry," Yongsun mumbles, looking down at her feet.

"What's with the apology?" Byulyi is flustered at the sudden change in her demeanor. She gets closer, using an index finger to tip Yongsun's chin up gently.

Yongsun averts her gaze to somewhere behind Byulyi. "I... sorry for being jealous over something so small and probably insignificant."

"Silly." A corner of Byulyi's lips tilt up into a slight smirk.

"Huh?"

"I like my women like I like my money; green, a little jealous," Byulyi softly sings into Yongsun's ears, causing her to blush madly. "Honestly, Yong. Jokes aside, you being like this gives me assurance of your feelings for me. Just don't do it too often, you scare me sometimes."

Yongsun cracks a smile before moving closer to her. "Take it back."

"Take what back?"

"You said women. Change it to woman."

Byulyi bursts into laughter, using one hand to pinch her cheek before dropping it to interlock their hands. "Gosh, Yong."

"Hehe."

"Alright, my little green-eyed monster. Let's go home." 

* * *

When they get home, Byulyi feels her arms and upper body ache as if she just did weight training. Honestly though, carrying a two year old is practically weight training. Yongsun chuckles when the younger woman plops down onto the couch with Sunny lying on her body. 

"Hey, aren't you going to cook dinner?" Yongsun asks as she puts the cakes into the fridge.

"I am... just let me catch my breath," Byulyi groans, softly patting the head of the sleeping little girl on top of her. She dozes off before she knows it, waking up a while later to the fragrant smell of dinner. "Er... Yong?"

Byulyi panics when she realises the weight on her body is gone, afraid that she dropped Sunny while she was sleeping. She springs up, and yelps when Yongsun's face suddenly appears in front of her.

"Dinner. Go wash your hands."

"Oh, jeez, you scared me," Byulyi lightly scowls, hand covering her chest. "Where's Sunny? Is she okay?"

Yongsun rolls her eyes before walking over to the dining table where Sunny is already sitting in her baby chair to put a bib on her. Byulyi's mouth forms an 'O'. She quickly washes her hand and joins them.

Byulyi takes her first bite of Yongsun's bibimbap and nods in amazement. "Hey, your cooking really improved."

"Right?" Yongsun grins triumphantly, shaking her head from side to side in excitement. Sunny flails her arms and kicks out her legs happily when she sees her mother in such a good mood. "Years of practice have not gone down the drain!"

Byulyi chuckles at her adorable reaction, her gaze so loving her eyes seem to be dripping honey. The older woman notices and bites down on her lower lip shyly. No matter how well they know each other and how comfortable they are with each other, Yongsun will never be able to get used to how Byulyi stares at her - like Yongsun is her whole world. The looks she sends her always makes her shy and gets her heart racing, stomach flipping, and palms clammy.

Byulyi reaches forward to put her hand on top of Yongsun's. "I'm sorry for falling asleep when I offered to cook dinner."

"It's fine. You were tired. You had to wake up early for work, too."

"But you were tired too."

"I've managed all these years. This is nothing," Yongsun assures her with a smile. Her words, coupled with the apparent eyebags under her eyes, are like little daggers to the younger woman's heart, and the latter squeezes her hand.

"Please, Yong, please just lean on me now, okay? If you are tired, make me do it. Wake me up if I'm sleeping, stop me if I'm gaming. You're not alone, you know? You have me now."

Yongsun nods, flipping her hand to grab Byulyi's. "Thanks Byul. I'll try."

They reluctantly let go of each other's hand to continue eating. When they are done with dinner, Byulyi goes to wash the dishes while Yongsun plates the cakes and makes some tea.

"Cake!" Sunny cheers when the dessert is placed in front of her. "Eomma, cake!"

"Yes, cake. You can only have half a slice tonight." Yongsun reminds her, to which the little girl pouts at.

"Why?" Byulyi asks as she takes her seat. She sips on some freshly brewed green tea, sighing in satisfaction at the warmth spreading through her body.

"It's high in sugar. If she finishes one slice by herself she'll probably sleep at two in the morning and I really can't stay awake much longer to keep an eye on her."

Byulyi blinks, realising she really has a lot to learn about childcare. She feeds Sunny while Yongsun savours hers, whispering to Sunny, "You can have the rest tomorrow. I'll keep it safe for you."

Sunny beams, clapping like a seal. She must have thought the adults would finish the cakes on her behalf.

"Yeah, have it tomorrow," Yongsun says, rolling her eyes. "Byul, are you sure you don't want some? It's really good."

"Nah, you can have it all."

"Alright!" Byulyi smiles when she sees Yongsun enjoying herself, making a mental note to buy desserts for her more often. She used to do that a lot when they were still working together as teachers and their paychecks were stable, but she stopped doing so when she started thinking of quitting her job, wanting to save money for her dream. It was one of her biggest regrets after they broke up.

When they are done with dessert, Byulyi clears the table while Yongsun gives Sunny a quick shower before tucking her into bed. Yongsun enters her en suite after Sunny has fallen asleep to find that Byulyi has finished running the bath and is waiting for her inside the bathtub, already showered.

"Come in," Byulyi calls gently, lifting her hand out of the warm water to beckon to Yongsun. 

The older woman strips off her clothing, smirking when she sees Byulyi's eyes darken with lust. She strides over and dips a foot in slowly before entering fully. Byulyi leans back on one end of the bathtub, spreading her legs to pull Yongsun between them, her chest pressed against the latter's back. The warm water soothes Yongsun's tensed muscles, causing her eyelids to droop within minutes.

"I'll wash you. You don't even need to move," Byulyi whispers into Yongsun's ears, which makes her shudder. 

She closes her eyes, feels Byulyi reaching for the shampoo before feeling her slowly massaging it into her hair. It feels so good, so relaxing that she can't help but moan. Byulyi squeezes her thighs, which in turn squeezes Yongsun's outer thighs, at the sound. The older woman chuckles at that.

Byulyi rinses the suds out with the shower head then pours some body soap onto her palm, foaming it before rubbing Yongsun's body with it, also taking the chance to give her a brief shoulder massage. Not long after, she realises Yongsun has slackened against her. The deep breathing confirms that the older woman has fallen asleep. She must have been so exhausted. Byulyi holds her for a while, nuzzling her neck and breathing in her scent, relishing the contact of their soft skins. She plants little kisses on her shoulders and smiles, pleased.

When the water cools significantly, Byulyi stands to drain the tub and lies her down, gently pushing her head so she's leaning against the wall. Byulyi uses the shower head to rinse both of them once more before wrapping Yongsun's body with a towel and carrying her out to her bed.

Yongsun's eyes flutter open when she feels the soft bed underneath her to see Byulyi, still naked, walking away.

"Byul-ah," Yongsun murmurs sleepily.

"Hm? Did I wake you? Sorry babe."

She shakes her head slightly before reaching her hands out. "Can you come here for a bit?"

Byulyi nods and makes her way back to Yongsun, who sits up to pull her into a tight hug. The former smiles and strokes the latter's hair gently.

"You make me feel so secure," Yongsun says into Byulyi's skin. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby. Let me go get the hairdryer okay? I'll be quick."

"Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting, everyone! Thank you for the kudos and comments too ♡


	8. Chapter 8

Yongsun wakes up in Byulyi's arms but to her surprise, she isn't the only one in them. Sunny is curled up in the small space between them, still soundly asleep. She cranes her neck to look at Byulyi, who is already awake and staring at her with a look of fondness.

"Good morning," Byulyi whispers huskily. Yongsun loves that deep, rough voice of hers. It awakes a thirst in her that only its owner can quench. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts - she shouldn't be thinking about things like that when her young daughter is lying in their midst. "What?"

"Nothing. Good morning Byul." Yongsun sits up slowly to avoid disturbing Sunny. "What's she doing here?"

"Ah, she cried in the middle of the night so I brought her here. It's okay, right?"

Yongsun nods, inching towards Byulyi to plant a soft kiss on her lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Byulyi smiles. She gets up and off the bed to go to the en suite with Yongsun following her. They brush their teeth together, grinning at each other through the mirror with white, bubbling foam in their mouths.

After freshening up fully, Yongsun returns to her bedroom to hear soft sniffing from her bed. She finds Sunny awake and on the verge of tears so she rushes to pick her up.

"What's wrong, baby? Were you scared because you were alone? I'm here now," Yongsun coos, bouncing her lightly to soothe her. Sunny buries her face in the crook of Yongsun's neck, nodding. "Don't be scared, eomma's here now."

Byulyi exits the en suite to find Yongsun comforting her daughter so she makes her way over to stroke Sunny's hair tenderly, hoping to help a little as well.

"Have some quality time together, I'll go make breakfast," Byulyi smiles, pressing a kiss on Yongsun's temple before leaving the room for the kitchen.

Yongsun's heart skips a beat at her thoughtful and sweet gestures, and in turn, passes some love to Sunny by pressing a kiss on the top of her head. "Let's go wash up, baby girl."

After helping Sunny wash up, they exit the bathroom just in time to see Byulyi entering the house from the front door with a black plastic bag.

"Where'd you go?" Yongsun asks, confused. She didn't hear the door open or close earlier.

Byulyi grins sheepishly, holding the bag up while shaking it slightly. "I bought breakfast."

Yongsun sets Sunny in her baby chair before examining the food, delighted to find hot, fresh street toasts which fragrance makes her salivate instantly.

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow. I was sure you'd appreciate this more than what I'd make," Byulyi chuckles, taking out the toasts to plate them.

"Which is pouring cereal into cold milk?" Yongsun teases. "Sunny can't have too much of the toast because it's oily and salty so I'll make her some oatmeal to go with it."

Sunny pouts, kicking her legs out under the table. She briefly understands what they are talking about and she doesn't like it.

Byulyi notices and ruffles her hair in laughter. "When you grow older I'll get you one to eat all by yourself, okay? Or two, if your appetite is big."

"Okay..." Sunny nods begrudgingly. "Pwomise?"

"Yeah, promise." Byulyi hooks Sunny's pinky with her own. "Your mother is our witness. Isn't that right, Yong?"

"Yup, if she doesn't keep her promise I'll punish her." Yongsun gives Sunny a thumbs up.

Byulyi gasps, reaching out to cover Sunny's ears in surprise. "Unnie! You shouldn't say such... such things in front of her!"

Yongsun is confused by Byulyi's dramatic reaction for a second before she gapes at the younger woman incredulously. "Excuse me? You're the one taking it the wrong way!"

"Oh... _oh_." Byulyi removes her hands and scratches her head in embarrassment. "Well..."

"But if you want _punishment_ , you can always just ask," Yongsun smirks, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Ugh! Don't scandalise our precious little baby like that!" Byulyi groans, covering Sunny's ears again, who is looking at them questioningly, visibly confused at what they are doing.

Her words wipe the smirk off Yongsun's face. "Our... precious little baby?"

Byulyi's face reddens when she realises what she's said, stuttering, "U-Uh, should I, erm, should I not say that? I'm sorry if I said something wrong."

"No!" Yongsun quickly assures her, smiling shyly. "I like the sound of it. No, I actually... I love it."

Byulyi exhales in relief, removing her hands from Sunny's ears. "You scared me!"

"I was just surprised." Yongsun chokes up, feeling emotional all of a sudden. "I mean, I know it already feels like we're a family but hearing that just feels -"

Before Yongsun can finish her words, Byulyi pulls her into a bone-crushing hug, effectively shutting her up. 

"Yong, we are a family as long as you want us to be because I'm definitely most willing. I love you and I love her too, and I'm hoping it's clear as crystal I'm here to stay. I know I said I didn't want something like this in the past, but I've done some soul-searching, and I know now this is what I want. Do you want us to be a family, Yong?"

Yongsun buries her face in the crook of Byulyi's neck, wetting it with tears that keep spilling from her eyes. "Mhm, I do."

"Good." Byulyi pulls back to wipe the tears away gently. She notices Sunny looking worriedly at her mother so she sends her a smile, hoping it's enough to reassure her. "Come on, can we dig in now, Your Highness?"

"Yes," Yongsun laughs, hastily wiping the snots that gush out her nostrils from that with the back of her hands, causing Byulyi and Sunny to squeal in disgust.

Byulyi swiftly grabs a tissue to wipe her nose for her, shaking her head while tittering. "Blow your nose now, my big baby." 

Yongsun mock glares at her but obliges anyway. At times like this, Byulyi always seem like the older one, not that Yongsun minds, to be honest. Sometimes it's nice to be the one being taken care of.

"Alright, good girl." After Byulyi disposes the used tissue, she claps her hands together. "Now let's dig in for real!"

* * *

"Unnie, are you almost done with work? We're bored," Byulyi whines over the phone. Yongsun smiles and her smile widens when she hears Sunny's giggles in the background.

"I'm done in thirty minutes. What are you two doing?" Yongsun asks, checking her wristwatch.

"She's baking a cake and pouring me some tea," Byulyi answers, her tone filled with fondness.

Byulyi had just bought Sunny, to the latter's delight, a new toy set that comprises of mini plastic stove, oven, kettle, plates, teapot, teacups, cutleries, and pastries. Although Yongsun was not pleased that Byulyi had spent so much when Sunny already has plenty of toys, she can't help but feel touched, something that she has been feeling non-stop since the two reunited.

"Oh, that sounds so cute. Take some photos of her, will you?"

Byulyi scoffs. "Bold of you to assume that I haven't already spammed my phone gallery with it."

Yongsun laughs, stopping when she sees the door opening. "Byul-ah, I have to end the call now. I'll see you when I get back."

"What? So fast?" Byulyi pouts. "Can we come pick you up, then?"

"I'd love that, but I made plans. I'll be back before dinner tho-"

"Wait! What plans? Why didn't you mention it?" Yongsun can practically hear the sulk in Byulyi's voice. The former heaves a sigh and excuses herself for a bit to go out of the practice room.

"I'm just taking the trainee I'm teaching out for some tea."

Byulyi groans before she clears her throat. "Sunny says she wants some snacks too. Can we join?"

Yongsun sighs, sending the trainee an apologetic look through the glass panel of the door. "I'll ask her and get back to you."

"Okay!"

"I really have to go. Bye."

"Bye, I love you!" Byulyi chirps.

Yongsun blushes before whispering, "I love you too."

She quickly hangs up and enters the room, a sheepish smile painted on her face. "Sooyeon-ah, I'm sorry but... do you mind if my friend and my daughter join us later?"

The trainee looks up from the music sheet, surprised. "Hm? S-Sure!"

"Really? You don't have to force yourself to agree if you don't want to."

Choi Sooyeon smiles to assure her vocal trainer. "I'm really fine with it, ssaem!"

"Alright, but feel free to say no if you aren't comfortable with it, okay?"

"Okay."

They continue their lesson after Yongsun sends their location to Byulyi to inform her that they can leave the house in twenty minutes to meet them here at the entertainment agency. As the lesson comes to an end, Yongsun and Sooyeon packs up, leaving the building to find Byulyi already waiting outside by the entrance with Sunny in her arms. 

"Yong!" Byulyi grins, immediately moving closer to peck Yongsun on the cheek when she catches herself, seeing that the older woman isn't alone. She awkwardly clears her throat and Yongsun smiles knowingly. 

"Eomma!" Sunny squeals, hands reaching out for her mother. Byulyi passes the little girl over and bows at the stranger. The stranger bows back.

Yongsun notices their exchange. "Ah, sorry about it. Byul-ah, this is Choi Sooyeon, a trainee here. Sooyeon-ah, this is Moon Byulyi, my best friend."

The two women have decided to introduce each other as best friends in front of people who aren't their close friends as a way to protect themselves. Their conservative country's citizens can be so harsh and homophobic, so it's not in their best interest to be explicitly out.

"Hello Byulyi-ssi," Sooyeon greets politely. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hello Sooyeon-ssi, it's nice to meet you, too."

Sooyeon then greets Sunny by patting her head gently. "Hello Sunny, have you been well?"

Sunny sends her a toothy grin, waving her chubby little hand. "Unnie!"

"You look even cuter now," Sooyeon coos, stroking Sunny's cheeks. "Aw, your cheeks are so soft!"

"Sunny-ah, you have to say hello to unnie too," Yongsun reminds and the little girl obeys, dropping her head as a bow. Sooyeon visibly melts at how adorable the little girl is. "Good girl. Come on, let's start walking. The cafe is nearby."

The two younger women nod, following after Yongsun who leads them to a quaint cafe just a street away. They take the corner seats while Yongsun goes to order for them. Seeing that their cakes and drinks are ready, Byulyi instinctively gets up to collect them for the older woman. She sets the tray down and passes everyone their order before putting the tray away.

"Thank you for the treat, ssaem," Sooyeon beams, taking a small bite out of her cheesecake.

Yongsun nods. "It's because you have improved so much. I think that as long as you keep this up, you should be able to debut soon."

"I hope so. Will you still be teaching me when I debut?"

"Maybe? If there are more trainees entering then they may hire another trainer for the idols who have debuted. Nothing's confirmed, though."

Sooyeon's face falls and she looks down. "But... but we are already so used to your style, ssaem. I- we don't want a new trainer."

"Aw, am I such a good trainer that you can't bear to part with me?" Yongsun teases, though she can't deny that she also feels sad thinking about possibly having to leave her current trainees. They are all wonderful, talented people and she really values every one of them.

"Erm, y-yes. I... we, erm, we like you a lot so we would love to have you continue teaching us." Sooyeon looks away as her cheeks pink slightly.

Byulyi watches them silently while she helps to feed Sunny, occasionally taking a few bites of Yongsun's strawberry shortcake since she didn't order any, not wanting a whole slice to herself. 

Yongsun smiles as she sips her drink, touched. "That's nice to hear. I'm so glad you guys feel this way. I'll see what I can do about it, okay? No promises though."

"Okay!" Sooyeon brightens up, happily taking a bigger bite.

"Unnie, you should eat the cake while it's cold," Byulyi says, pushing the plate in front of Yongsun. The latter looks down to see that Byulyi has only eaten some of the chiffon cake and left all the strawberries for her.

"Byul-ah, why didn't you eat it with the strawberries? You should have some too."

Byulyi shakes her head. "Nah, they are your favourite. You have them."

"It's okay, you can take some. It's nicer to eat the cake, fresh cream, and strawberries together."

"Okay," Byulyi gives in, stopping after one bite. She looks at Yongsun fondly as the latter happily finishes the rest. She shakes her head when she sees the fresh cream smeared on the latter's lips, habitually reaching out with her thumb to wipe it off before cleaning her thumb by licking it. "Are you a kitten?"

Yongsun pouts, sending her a mock glare. Sooyeon notices their exchange which seems too intimate for platonic friends. She feels like she's intruding and she doesn't like it so she quickly looks down at her plate, pretending that she wasn't looking.

"Bolly imo," Sunny whines, pointing to her mouth, causing the adults to chuckle sheepishly, having forgotten to feed her.

"Alright, alright little princess, I'm sorry." Byulyi resumes feeding her. "There, all done." 

Sunny pats her round stomach in satisfaction as Byulyi wipes her mouth with a napkin. 

"We're all done, right?" Yongsun asks and everyone nods. "Alright, let's get going."

Byulyi picks Sunny up and the four of them exit the cafe after thanking the employees.

"Okay, Sooyeon, get back safely. I'll see you the day after tomorrow," Yongsun waves.

"Wait, ssaem," Sooyeon shyly holds up a pretty paper bag, passing it to Yongsun who looks at it questioningly, "I know you like chocolates so I got you some. Please accept them."

Yongsun's eyes widened, surprised. "Oh! Thank you. I'll enjoy them."

"You're welcome, and thank you again for the treat! See you, and goodbye Byulyi-ssi and Sunny."

The three watch Soojin walk away until the view of her back disappears before starting their journey home. Yongsun notices Byulyi quietly sneaking looks at her for quite some time and it's starting to bother her.

"You got something to say?" Yongsun asks, breaking the silence between them.

"Huh? Oh, erm," Byulyi hesitates, "I think Sooyeon-ssi likes you."

"What?" Yongsun looks at her incredulously. "Don't say that. I'm her trainer."

"Have you never had a crush on your teacher?"

Yongsun purses her lips, knowing she definitely had in high school. There was this music teacher who was just so beautiful and had such a sultry voice. Too bad the teacher was married. Byulyi shoots a knowing look to which Yongsun blushes at.

"Fine, I did," Yongsun admits, rolling her eyes. "But Sooyeon... she's probably straight."

Byulyi furrows her brows at that statement. "Seriously?"

"Erm... I don't know, okay? Even if she isn't, she's my trainee, and she's only seventeen, and there's this other female trainee she's close with who obviously is in love with her so don't say stuff like this again."

"Fine." Byulyi pouts at the stern tone of the older woman.

"Are you mad?" Yongsun peers at her.

"No." 

Yongsun bumps Byulyi's shoulder with her own. "Aye, you are. Don't be mad, I love you."

"W-What?" Byulyi's face reddens and she stops walking, holding Sunny higher to hide behind her. "That's so sudden!"

"Cute," Yongsun grins. Shy Byulyi is always so endearing to her because the younger woman's always been a little too greasy and good at flirting. Her occasional shyness is such a reverse charm. "Don't make such an expression, Byul-ah. It makes me want to kiss you right here in front of all these strangers."

Byulyi gasps and groans. "No, Yong! Don't say things like that in public, you're driving me crazy!"

"Maybe that's the whole point?"

"Ugh!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belated Merry Christmas everyone! I was going to try finishing it on Byul's birthday or Christmas but I procrastinated as always hahahah. Anyway, please remember to stream "Hop in", "A miracle 3days ago", "When It Snows mmm", and "Blue Bird"!


	9. Chapter 9

Byulyi has been waiting for the night to come ever since she opened her eyes this morning when Yongsun slipped out of her arms and got out of bed. She couldn't wait to have Yongsun back in her arms again and make love to her over and over. Just thinking about it excited her and spurred her on throughout the day to quickly finish up her work. 

The time to go back to bed finally rolls around. As they get under the covers, Yongsun grabs Byulyi by the waist and pulls her close.

"I missed this," Yongsun sighs happily, pressing her face into Byulyi's chest.

"Me too." Byulyi wraps her arms tightly around Yongsun and rests her chin on the top of Yongsun's head, relishing in the warmth that comes from being so close to her lover. "Oh right, I've been meaning to tell you this. I'm going to head back to my hometown in three weeks' time to visit my grandmother. Do you want to come with me? I'm sure she would be happy to see you again."

Yongsun shifts so that she can look up at the younger woman. "I do! I missed her. What about Sunny, though? Should I leave her in Seoul? I wonder if Wheein and Hyejin can take care of her for a couple of days?"

"We can bring Sunny along if she wants to come. Halmoni will be so happy to see such an adorable child."

"Are you sure? I don't want to bother."

"Don't worry, babe. She'd love the company."

Yongsun nods with a smile. "Okay! I'll ask Sunny in the morning then."

Byulyi signs an 'OK' before pulling Yongsun into herself again. "Babe, can you hear my heart beating faster for you?"

"Yeah, I can," Yongsun whispers shyly before taking Byulyi's hand to put on her own chest. "Feel mine, too."

Feeling mischievous, Byulyi moves her hand down slightly, cupping it over Yongsun's breast and giving it a light squeeze, eliciting a gasp from the latter.

Yongsun freezes for a split second before snuggling further into Byulyi, exhaling so softly Byulyi nearly misses it, "More."

Byulyi squeezes a little harder, using her thumb to graze Yongsun's already hardened nipple. The older woman's hold on Byulyi's forearm tightens as a mewl escapes her mouth. The sound spurs Byulyi on, and she moves so that she's hovering over Yongsun. She pulls Yongsun's t-shirt up, letting it bunch around her collar bones before lowering herself to take a nipple into her mouth, sucking it lightly.

Yongsun gasps and arches her back, pushing her nipple further into Byulyi's hot, wet mouth.

"Mm..." Byulyi hums, rolling the little pebble with the tip of her tongue.

"Oh God!" Yongsun moans, loving the friction that's sending tingles all over her body. She can already feel the wetness seeping out onto her panties so she subtly spreads her legs a little.

Byulyi notices but continues her gentle attack on Yongsun's other breast with a smirk playing on her lips.

After several minutes with Byulyi looking like she has no intention to move towards where Yongsun wants her the most, the latter decides to take things into her own hands. She locks eyes with Byulyi and puts her middle and ring fingers into her mouth to lubricate them with her saliva, reaching down into her panties with her other hand to rub her clit slowly, moaning when the contact jolts her with shocks of pleasure. Byulyi's eyes widen in surprise but they quickly darken in lust.

"Fuck," Byulyi curses under her breath as she straightens up, unable to look away. It's Yongsun's turn to smirk as she pulls her fingers out of her mouth and slides them both into her hot, dripping entrance, groaning as she feels herself being stretched deliciously, all the while maintaining eye contact. Byulyi's jaw drops. How is this woman real? How can she be this hot? Byulyi wonders for a second who she'd saved in her past life, if she had one, to be able to be in the presence of this goddess.

"Oh, Byul-ah!" Yongsun moans her name as she increases her speed, adding her index finger as well, building up her orgasm steadily while Byulyi quickly gets to work, rubbing her own clit and kneading her own breast as she's no longer able to bear with the intense pulsing she's feeling below. "I'm coming!"

"Me too, let's come together baby," Byulyi chokes out. "Come for me baby, come now, I'm coming!"

"B-Byul!" Yongsun screams as softly as she can as she feels herself tightening against her fingers, reaching her climax around the same time as Byulyi's. "Oh fuuuuuck."

Byulyi flops down onto Yongsun's body, that is glistening with sweat, to catch her breath. She peppers Yongsun's face with light, feathery kisses while she repeatedly whispers, "I love you."

Yongsun stops her by cupping her cheeks lovingly. "I love you too. Let's sleep now."

"Wait, let me clean you up," Byulyi grins, moving down Yongsun's body to lap up her warm juices, drawing out a gasp from the latter who bucks her hips up at the sudden contact. "Mmm, you taste so good."

"B-Byul..." Yongsun shakily exhales, hands clinging onto her bedsheet as she feels another orgasm on its way. "Ah! Yes! Mm..."

Byulyi hums as she inserts her tongue into Yongsun, wiggling it inside her and causing the latter's legs to tremble at the fire the sensation reignites in the pit of her belly.

It isn't long before Yongsun comes again, this time even more mind-blowing than the last. "Oh God... Oh my God."

"This is the best supper ever," Byulyi beams, licking her lips and crawling up into a blushing Yongsun's arms. "I want it again tomorrow."

Yongsun shakes her head tiredly in defeat, though it's impossible to hide the contented smile playing on her lips. "I'm tired."

"Sleep, then."

"Aren't you tired?" Yongsun asks as she stifles a yawn, her eyes on the verge of closing.

"I am, but I wanna watch you for a bit more."

"Hm... 'kay..."

And Byulyi does just that for a short while, quietly watching as the love of her life sleeps before drifting off to sleep herself, both satisfied and spent from their love-making session.

* * *

Two weeks of bliss fly by and it's time for Byulyi's new project to start - filming and editing for a famous dancer which will take exactly one week. The dancer is going to drop a duet dance video with a mystery guest dancer that is highly anticipated by her fans, so it's definitely going to be stressful since it has to be nothing less than perfect.

It's only the second day since Byulyi has started on the project and Yongsun already misses her dearly. Byulyi did tell her that she would probably be too busy to respond to her messages or pick up her calls frequently so Yongsun decides to do something nice for Byulyi.

Yongsun heads down to Byulyi's office with some health tonics and supplements after sending Sunny to the child care centre since she has an appointment later that's nearby. The nearer she gets to the office, the more nervous she becomes. Maybe she should have informed Byulyi first? Nevertheless, she's already arrived and it's not like she's planning on disturbing them. She's just going to give her the stuff and leave so she doesn't bother her or get in her way. Still, she hesitates a little before working up her courage to press the doorbell. 

"Who- Yongsun noona?" Comes a familiar voice from the intercom. A couple of seconds later, the frosted glass door opens to reveal Junghwan with a look of surprise on his face. "Hi noona, what brings you here?"

"Oh, hi Junghwan-ah. It's been so long," Yongsun greets, feeling a bit awkward and uncertain since she doesn't really know what he feels about her now. "I, erm, I'm just dropping off some stuff for Byulyi."

"Ah, I see," he nods before looking towards a room, which has its door closed, with a slightly torn expression. "Well, she's in a meeting right now but you can come in and wait for her if you want to talk to her for a bit."

Yongsun ponders but ultimately shakes her head. "It's fine, I don't want to bother. I would appreciate it if you could help to pass these to her. You two can share them. They're just some health foods to help with fatigue and stress. I know this week is a busy week for you guys."

Junghwan takes the plastic bags from Yongsun with a grateful smile. "Oh, thanks noona! I will pas-"

The door of the room Junghwan was looking at opens just then, revealing Byulyi and a familiar-looking young woman chatting happily, cutting off his words. His eyes widen a little but he catches himself and quickly schools his expression.

Byulyi looks shocked when she notices Yongsun at the entrance and she quickly makes her way over with the woman following closely behind her. "Unnie, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, Byul-ah, I got you some stuff. I was just going to drop them off and leave," Yongsun tells her, pointing to the bags in Junghwan's hands.

"Thanks unnie, but you didn't have to come all the way here just for that." Maybe it's her uneasy tone of voice, or her strained smile, but her response simply rubs Yongsun the wrong way. It's probably also because Yongsun was excited to see Byulyi but it seems that the excitement isn't mutual.

"Right, sorry. I won't do that again," Yongsun mutters. "Thanks again, Junghwan. Have a good day."

With that, she turns and leaves. Byulyi earns herself a look of disapproval from Junghwan, who shows her what are in the bags. Byulyi groans, feeling a stab of guilt. She dashes after Yongsun, missing her by a split second because the lift door has closed right when she reaches the lift lobby. She quickly presses the down button for another one that thankfully arrives swiftly.

She manages to catch up with Yongsun as the latter exits the building.

"Wait, unnie," Byulyi pants as she stops in front of her, taking her aback.

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what? You don't have to be, it's not your fault."

Byulyi sighs, slightly annoyed. "Why are you being like this?"

"Like what? What am I being like?" Yongsun's voice rises, the disappointment she's feeling is instantly replaced by anger. "I didn't even say anything."

"I don't know, it's just... it's not that I don't want you coming here, okay? You're acting like that's what I feel."

Yongsun raises an eyebrow sceptically, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips much to Byulyi's chagrin. "Oh really? Because that's exactly the feeling I'm getting from you right now."

"Seriously?"

"Just forget it and go back to work. It's really not my intention to disturb you when you're working so let me leave." Yongsun starts to walk away when Byulyi stops her again.

"Fine! That woman in there... she's my ex and I just didn't want you to bump into her," Byulyi admits begrudgingly. 

Yongsun freezes, feeling not just angry now but also somewhat betrayed. She turns around to face Byulyi. "Ah, I see. You were planning to hide the fact that your ex is at your workplace from me."

"She's just my client now and it's purely a professional relationship. It's not a big deal."

"Right, and you reacted this way even though it's just a professional relationship? Because it's not a big deal?"

"Are you... accusing me?" Byulyi gasps in disbelief. "I just feel uncomfortable if you two were to meet especially because you tend to get jealous easily."

Her words draw a loud scoff from Yongsun as the latter folds her arms in front of her chest. "Oh so it's my fault now? That you hid it from me so that you don't have to handle my jealousy? I'm sorry, then, that I drove you to do this!"

"Ugh! Stop it!" 

"Yeah I'm planning on it!" Yongsun snaps, sidestepping Byulyi in another attempt to leave. Byulyi runs her hands through her hair in frustration, conflicted between chasing after her and going back to work.

Her phone buzzes and she checks it to see a new message from Junghwan, telling her to settle whatever problem they have before coming back and that he would take care of their work until then. She thanks him in a reply before turning around to run after Yongsun's figure that's getting further, smaller.

As she closes the distance between them, she's about to reach out to grab her shoulder when she pauses mid-way, catching herself from doing that in case it is a trigger for the older woman. Instead, she calls for her. "Yong."

The older woman stops walking.

"Look at me, please."

Yongsun makes no move to do that so Byulyi moves in front of her only to see tears streaming down her face. She feels her stomach twists in guilt, feels like she's the world's biggest asshole. She slowly cups her face to wipe her tears away.

"Why are you crying? Please don't cry! I'm sorry, Yong," Byulyi pleads. "I just didn't want you to worry about it because there's really nothing between Seulgi and I now. I-"

"S-Seulgi?" Yongsun sniffs, suddenly realising why she finds the woman familiar. 

"... Yes."

"Kang Seulgi?"

Byulyi's eyes widen. "You know her?"

Yongsun shrugs and doesn't say anything else.

"Erm, well, anyway I just thought if I didn't tell you that then that's one less thing you need to care or worry about, you know? I'm sorry if I made it feel shady instead. That really wasn't my intention, I promise." Byulyi searches Yongsun's face to see how she'd react but the latter's expression remains guarded, unchanged.

"Also, I'm really grateful that you came all this way for my sake. I reacted that way because I felt guilty for hiding it from you, not because I didn't like you coming over."

"... Really?" Yongsun asks, her voice soft and unsure.

"Yes, really. I'm really sorry, unnie. Please forgive this asshole? Please?" 

Seeing the earnest, pleading look in Byulyi's eyes, Yongsun lets slip a tiny smile. "Okay."

"Thank you!" Byulyi beams, pulling her into a tight hug. "Well, now that that's over, wanna come back and meet Seulgi? She's actually really curious about you."

"What? Why?"

"Ah," the younger woman chuckles sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "She's always wondered how the woman who I can never get over is like."

Yongsun giggles but shakes her head. "Thanks for the invitation but I can't. I have an appointment in thirty minutes so I have to go now. I'll see her soon, though, since she's going to be training our trainees for a bit. That's how I know her, by the way."

"Oh, what a coincidence!"

"Yeah."

"Anyway, what appointment do you have? I didn't know you have one today."

Yongsun blinks. "I think I forgot to tell you because I actually only remembered it this morning myself. It's nothing much, I'm just going to meet my therapist for a bit."

The younger woman frowns, her eyebrows knitted together, nearly touching each other. "Nothing much? How can that be nothing much? What's wrong? Are you having nightmares more frequently or...?"

Yongsun shakes her head. "Nope, it's about the same. She just wants to meet me to see how I am since I haven't been going for a while."

"Okay, then do you want me to go with you? I can tell Junghwan and Seu-"

"No, Byul. I can do this by myself. I have been doing this for the past two years after all. Go back to work, okay?"

"How many times do I need to say that you're no longer alone and don't have to do things by yourself?"

Huffing, Yongsun places her hands on the younger woman's shoulders. "Babe, I know that but this is no more than a routine check-up, I'll be fine! I'll text you when I'm done to let you know that I survived it, don't worry."

"Unnie!" Byulyi whines.

Yongsun feels touched, knowing how much Byulyi wants to be her rock, wants her to lean on her, depend on her. She softly strokes Byulyi's cheek and the latter sighs at that, leaning in to her touch. "Really, I'll be fine. You can come with me for my next session if you want."

"Okay..." Byulyi finally agrees.

Yongsun badly wants to kiss away the pout on Byulyi's lips but they are in public so that's not a good idea. She settles for tapping them with her index finger. "Good. Go back to work for the nth time but don't overwork yourself. I love you."

"I love you more."

"I love you most. Go now."

"Yes mummy," Byulyi leans closer and whispers in her ear, her lips curling up into a smirk when she hears the sharp intake of breath Yongsun draws in. Yongsun stays silent for a few seconds before digging out her phone, tapping on the screen a couple of times before sliding it back into her handbag. Seconds later, Byulyi's phone buzzes. She raises an eyebrow at Yongsun questioningly, who tilts her chin up slightly to gesture for her to check it.

When she unlocks her phone, she sees that she has a new message from the older woman. Confused, she opens it only to gasp, nearly dropping her phone in shock.

"That's what I'm wearing today, underneath these clothes," Yongsun whispers, referring to the photo of herself posing in skimpy lingerie she had just sent to Byulyi.

The younger woman gulps and quickly locks her phone before anyone passing by sees it. "Are you crazy?!"

"Maybe. You started it though."

Byulyi groans, squeezing her eyes shut in despair. The glorious sight of Yongsun keeps flashing in her mind - both a blessing and a curse. How is she going to focus on her work now?

"You're trying to kill me." Byulyi can feel moisture seeping out of her nether regions, wetting her cotton panties. She shifts uncomfortably. All she wants to do now is to tear the thin, delicate lingerie off her lover's body with her teeth, like a beast, and enjoy her sweetness thoroughly.

"I wouldn't do that, can't live without my babe after all," Yongsun winks. "Okay I really have to go. Have a good day at work, love."

Byulyi frowns, reaching out to squeeze her hand before watching her leave. She unlocks her phone to take another peep, regretting instantly when the ache down south intensifies. "Ugh, Yong..."


	10. Chapter 10

It's two in the morning when Yongsun rouses from her sleep to the sound of footsteps approaching her. In her half-awake state, she quickly reaches her hand out, grabbing whatever she lays her hand on on her nightstand for some sort of self-defense. She can barely make out the intruder's figure in the dark, what more with her eyes half-open, but she senses that they're reaching her so she swings the object at them, succeeding in hitting them, eliciting a yelp that sounds oddly familiar to Yongsun.

"It's me! I'm Byul!" Comes the pained voice of the love of her life. Yongsun gasps, quickly turning on the night lamp to see Byulyi clutching her arm tightly, groaning.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Yongsun gets out of her bed to tend to her when the both of them notice what's in her hand. They stare at it in silence for a couple of seconds, stunned, before bursting into laughter.

"Yong! I can't believe you just whacked me with your vibrator!" Byulyi doubles over, laughing so hard she can barely breathe. "T-That's your weapon?!"

"Shut up! It was dark and I was in a hurry!" Yongsun gasps for breath, her abdomen aching. "You scared me!"

It takes them another ten minutes before they start to calm down. They are beyond exhausted by then, both wiping tears that have streamed down their faces from laughing too hard.

Yongsun helps Byulyi up, taking the chance to give her a once-over. "What are you doing here at this time? You're still wearing the same outfit from this afternoon. Did you just get off work?"

Byulyi nods, unbuttoning her shirt. "I know I said I'm going to be sleeping at my place until the project is over but... I wanted to sleep in your arms tonight."

The older woman smiles warmly at that. "Sure. Go take a shower first, I'll wait for you."

"Okay!" Byulyi starts walking to the en suite when she stops all of a sudden, turning back with a smirk on her face. "Wait, but what were you doing before bed for it to be on your nightstand?"

Yongsun blinks in surprise at the unexpected question, biting down on her lower lip shyly. "I, erm, couldn't stop thinking about you..."

Byulyi's eyes instantly darken in desire, her imagination going wild. "Ah, shit. Baby, you really know how to drive me crazy, don't you?"

Yongsun sticks her tongue out at her playfully before getting back in bed. "Please just go shower."

"Yes ma'am!" Byulyi salutes cheekily before heading for the shower stall. When she's done, she wraps a towel around herself and exits the en suite to see Yongsun sitting at the edge of her bed, waiting for her with the hairdryer in her hand.

"Come sit here and let me dry your hair," Yongsun beckons to the space between her legs. 

Byulyi happily puts on her pajamas before going over. As soon as she sits down, Yongsun starts to dry her hair with the lowest strength so that it isn't too noisy. 

"Yong," Byulyi speaks up after a bit.

"Hm?" Yongsun answers absentmindedly.

Byulyi sighs and softly says, "I'm really sorry about yesterday."

Yongsun turns off the hairdryer at her words. "I forgave you."

"I know. I just feel extra guilty knowing that you just wanted to do something for my sake. I really appreciate it, and I'm sorry if I didn't convey it well."

"Byul-ah, it's okay. We're humans and we make mistakes sometimes, and that's okay."

"Still-"

"Wait, I'm not done. You knew where you went wrong, and you made an effort to rectify it instead of giving more excuses or sweeping it under the rug. That's commendable, love. I'm not entirely blameless myself because I should've informed you beforehand. I also get jealous easily and I'm working on that even if it doesn't seem like there's much progress. If anything, I'm grateful that you're so tolerant."

Byulyi shifts until she's facing Yongsun to look her in the eyes. "Yong, I told you before that I get reassured of your feelings for me when you get jealous. Sometimes you're pretty scary when you do, I admit, but it would be a thousand times scarier if you don't."

After considering for a bit, Byulyi decides to add, "The thing is, when I was with Seulgi, it was more of a friends with benefits thing. I told her from the start that I couldn't give her anything more than that but she started catching feelings so we decided to stop the whole thing for her sake. I wasn't sure if she still feels the same way so I thought that it's best you two don't meet."

Yongsun nods, understanding where Byulyi is coming from - not wanting to hurt the two women who she cares about and who care about her. "So... does she still has feelings for you?"

"Well, good for her, no. She's happily in a relationship now."

"That's great to hear."

Byulyi agrees, hands reaching up to touch her hair. "Oh, it's all dry now. Let's sleep, shall we?"

"Alright."

Byulyi sets her alarm and crawls under the covers while waiting for Yongsun to put the hairdryer away. When she returns, Byulyi snuggles up to her. 

"Yong."

"... Hm?"

"I hope I never make you cry again."

Yongsun chuckles lightly and wraps her arms around her lover instinctively, burying her face in the crook of the latter's neck, mumbling, "Me too."

Deep, heavy breathing follows, indicating that the older woman has already fallen asleep. Byulyi chuckles before being lulled to sleep by the sound of it. There's just something so calming about hearing it that never fails to soothe her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter because next chapter will be pretty long ☺


End file.
